Tottenham have done Arsenal a favour as Edu weighs up huge transfer

Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Dominic Solanke could end up working in Arsenal’s favour, as the Gunners gear up for the final month of the transfer window.

Arsenal are unlikely to be done in the transfer market, with Riccardo Calafiori the only confirmed arrival so far.

Calafiori joined as part of a £42million deal from Bologna, but the Italian is set to be joined by further fresh faces at the Emirates Stadium.

It’s reported Arsenal are keen on Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino, with his namesake, Mikel Arteta eyeing up midfield reinforcements.

Meanwhile, centre forward has also been mooted as a position Arsenal could look to strengthen before deadline day on August 30.

Viktor Gyokeres has emerged as a potential target for the Premier League hopefuls, who finished two points behind eventual champions Manchester City last term.

Arsenal weren’t alone with their Gyokeres interest, with rivals Spurs also said to have been sniffing around the Swedish goal machine.

But with Solanke said to be Tottenham Hotspur Stadium-bound, Arsenal’s path to signing Gyokeres appears to have cleared up.

That’s if Arteta and Edu decide to pursue the move, with the Gunners boss having thrown his weight behind Gabriel Jesus following Arsenal’s pre-season friendly win against Bayer Leverkusen.

Speaking in mid-week, Arteta commented: “The first feeling when I saw him [Gabriel Jesus], it was something different. I could sense it.

“The energy was different. The way he looks is different. The way he moves is different… he looks good.”

It was justified praise from the Spanish coach, given Jesus was one of four Arsenal scorers during the 4-1 victory over the German champions.

The victory handed Arsenal fans a welcome confidence boost ahead of the new season, but Arteta is still looking for more from his players if they’re to challenge for top spot in the league.

And a move for Gyokeres would likely elevate Arteta’s side to a whole new level thanks to his goal-scoring exploits.

After their victory against Leverkusen, Arteta added: “We can take a lot of positives from the game as well as the result. The way we performed, there were lots of positive aspects, collectively and individually. I think we’ll take a lot from it. A lot of things to learn from it as well.

“I think we can improve, especially in the second half when we made seven changes. But again, a really good test, a really good team who are really well coached and it was a good performance.”

The season gets underway in earnest when Wolverhampton Wanderers travel to the Emirates for the opening game next weekend.