It was a season that promised so much, yet now teeters on the brink of disappointment. Barring unlikely Champions League glory, Arsenal are almost certain to go a fifth successive season without silverware, having fallen 13 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

While Mikel Arteta has undoubtedly had to deal with an injury crisis, the club’s failure to land a world-class striker in the last two transfer windows has cost them dear. The Spaniard simply has to address this situation this summer, and he’s expected to be handed a large transfer war chest with the Gunners also linked to a host of other targets.

Express Sport looks at the players rumoured to be coming in to bolster Arteta’s XI….

Benjamin Sesko

A transfer that has seemingly been lined up since the summer. The striker was linked with a move to Emirates from RB Leipzig before penning a new contract until 2029, which appeared to be a move from the German club to safeguard against losing him for a cut-price fee.

And with Leipzig having crashed out of the Champions League in 32nd place in the league phase, speculation of Sesko to Arsenal has again ramped up. The Slovenian international has 17 goals in all competitions this season, and to state that the north London club need more firepower would be an understatement.

Expect Arteta to go all out to bring the 21-year-old in when the 2024/25 season is over.

Martin Zubimendi

Arteta isn’t short of midfield options, but with Jorginho looking certain to leave this summer and Thomas Partey’s influence waning, links to Zubimendo come as no surprise. The Real Sociedad man came close to joining Liverpool in the summer but turned down a move amid the pleas of club chiefs to stay.

Deploying Zubimendi in a deep-lying role would free up Declan Rice to surge forward more often and could potentially lighten the load on Martin Odegaard. The club captain is struggling to assert the same creative influence as last season.

Joshua Kimmich

According to Sky Germany, Arsenal have already approached Bayern Munich about signing the 30-year-old, whose contract expires this summer. Kimmich has made 435 appearances across 10 seasons with the Bundesliga giants, winning eight league titles and playing a key role in their 2019/20 Champions League triumph.

While fans may question the logic of bringing in both Zubimendi and Kimmich, crucially, the latter is as comfortable at right-back as he is in midfield. Arteta has been forced to fill this position with stop gaps this season amid Ben White’s injury layoff.

Nico Williams

The currently injured Gabriel Martinelli has impressed in flashes this season, but his place could be threatened by the arrival of Athletic Bilbao winger Williams. As well as Arsenal, the explosive 2024 winner has been linked to a host of top European clubs, but the prospect of him and Saka suppling Sesko will drive Arteta to vehemently pursue the 22-year-old.

Potential Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Raya; Kimmich, Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Williams, Sesko, Saka.