The summer transfer window is now just day away from officially opening but Premier League sides have already started their business for the new season, with Arsenal amongst those to have secured a new name in the form of Sead Kolasinac.

The Gunners continue to eye top-class recruits to bolster their squad and are reportedly chasing both Alexandre Lacazette and Kylian Mbappe for a striker role, whilst Thomas Lemar and Riyad Mahrez are said to be their options out wide.

Arsene Wenger previously suggested he will only make three signings this summer, which means that it’s likely to be one from each area above- adding to Kolasinac, who bolstered the left-side after arriving on a free transfer from Schalke.

However, the danger for Arsenal is that they risk not standing with a stronger squad if they lose players in key positions- with Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain amongst those linked with an exit.

Arsenal will have big concerns of keeping Alexis, Ozil and Oxlade-Chamberlain at the club, as the trio have entered the final 12 months of their contracts, and their importance to the team means they will be very difficult to replace.

Speculation linking Giroud and Walcott with an exit is also a concern, as it means that it could be one in, one out at the Emirates Stadium- which wouldn’t leave Arsenal with a stronger squad depth-wise than they had last season.

Currently, Olivier Giroud is the only recognised out-and-out striker Arsenal have at their disposal, with the likes of Danny Welbeck often played out-wide, and losing the French striker means that the arrival of Lacazette or Mbappe would still put Arsenal in the same situation.

The Gunners will have a similar issue if Theo Walcott goes, especially if Oxlade-Chamberlain is also on the way out, and you’d expect Wenger to change his stance on only signing three players if major departures were to take place- but that’s merely speculation.

For Arsenal to succeed this summer, the Gunners need to secure key signings in the areas that need strengthening without offloading important players within their squad- which means they should fight tooth and nail to keep all of the aforementioned players. If you are a gambling man then you may want to bet on how many players will be signed this summer by Arsene Wenger.

If the big players were to leave, Arsenal need to make preparations to sign replacements and cannot afford to enter the season with a side lacking in depth- particularly as the Europa League scheduling means Wenger will likely be forced to rotate his ranks next season.