Ian Wright happy two Arsenal players blocked deal for his 'signing of the new season'

Ian Wright has tipped Dominic Solanke to be the standout signing of the summer. But the Arsenal legend thinks his former club were right not to battle arch-rivals Tottenham for his services.

Solanke completed a £65million switch from Bournemouth to north London this week, a move that had previously been discussed for him with regards to the Gunners instead of Spurs. A fully-fledged striker has previously appeared to be on Mikel Arteta’s wishlist, but it’s unclear if that position will be filled in the summer transfer window.

Solanke proved a popular option after his 19 Premier League goals last season. Tottenham ultimately forked out to get the deal done by meeting the required asking price.

Wright is confident the striker will maintain his impressive form, arguing on the Stick to Football podcast: “Dominic Solanke will be the signing of the season at £65m to Tottenham. I like that move for them and I think he could be a good signing with the way he plays, he doesn’t get injured, he scores goals.”

However, he isn’t concerned about Arsenal missing out on him, as he believes his goalscoring abilities can be matched by two players already in Arteta’s squad. Wright added: “It doesn’t bother me that Arsenal never went for Dominic Solanke because we’ve seen what Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli can do in pre-season.

“Martinelli lost his place last season to Leandro Trossard because he came in and played well, but if Jesus and Martinelli can get the goals that we expect them to get, then that would be good for Arsenal. Both players had poor seasons last year.

“So if they can get goals and consistency that we expect from them, then that will help. We know they are better players than they showed us last year, so we need them to perform better, which will help improve the squad.”

The pundit, 60, believes the key to challenging Manchester City for the title once again will be having strong squad depth, and he’d therefore like to see two more signings to follow David Raya and Riccardo Calafiori through the door.

It seems Arsenal’s priorities have shifted from an addition up top, however, instead looking at a winger – with Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman touted – and a midfielder, with Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino being the primary option. Talks are believed to be on regarding a move for Merino.