Arsenal snapped up ‘best on the market’ as Mikel Arteta looks to fourth signing

Arsenal chiefs reportedly believe they got the best right-back on the market by prising Jurrien Timber away from Ajax earlier this summer. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has brought in Timber alongside Declan Rice and Kai Havertz ahead of the new season and now has his eyes firmly fixed on signing Gremio ace Bitello.

Arsenal shelled out an initial £34million to sign Timber, who won two Eredivisie titles in Holland and has 15 Netherlands caps to his name. The defender, who will be hoping to make his team’s starting line-up for their Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest next month, is highly regarded and has previously excelled in the centre and on the right.

And transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has explained to Caught Offside that the Gunners board think they got the best right-sided defensive option available after having also shown interest in Real Valladolid’s Ivan Fresneda previously.

Timber will compete with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu for the right-back berth, while he can also fill in for first-choice centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba if needed. And Arteta will be hoping the 22-year-old’s arrival will help his team lift the Premier League trophy for the first time in two decades.

Arteta has virtually built a completely new team at the Emirates Stadium since taking the reins in 2019 after Unai Emery had been given his marching orders. And Romano has also confirmed that the Spaniard is chasing Bitello.

Arsenal scouts in South America like the 23-year-old midfielder after watching him in action in the Brasilia Serie A. But the Gunners are yet to put an offer forward as they decide whether to open talks in the days ahead. The north London giants are also monitoring other players in South America as they continue their transfer plans ahead of the new campaign.

Arsenal appeared to be on course to win their first Premier League title since 2004 last season as they built a substantial lead over Manchester City. But the Gunners saw a decline in form during the latter part of the campaign as Pep Guardiola’s side leapfrogged them to lift the top-flight trophy for the fourth time in five years.

But the Gunners, who won the FA Cup under Arteta in 2020, will have learnt from their experiences last time around. And with a squad that appears to be stronger on paper than it was last season, Arsenal could well be confident of finally putting their Premier League misery behind them and claiming silverware this term.