Gyokeres starts, Cunha decision - Arsenal dream XI after £161m Andrea Berta summer transfers

Andrea Berta's task at Arsenal is clear. Andrea Berta's task at Arsenal is not easy.

The mission, which he has chosen to accept, is to turn a challenging team into winners. He must go a step further and take Mikel Arteta's squad onto the next level.

The bar has been set incredibly high but it is as much of an opportunity as it is a threat. It is a unique scenario, being able to arrive at a club already working at the elite level with efficiency and clarity. Berta's job is now just one stage away after the previous hurdles have already been jumped.

The issue is that this last obstacle is perhaps the biggest one. It is one that is harder to take than the rest put together. It took Arteta 15 new players to get from eighth to second and another four to go even closer. Now the holes are in three places and filling those properly could make all the difference.

Before, the squad needed substantial change across the board. Now the demands are more subtle but maybe just as glaring. For the second summer in a row a striker is the priority as Kai Havertz seeks support.

Bukayo Saka needs his own help on the wing, whilst the expected departures of Jorginho and Thomas Partey will leave a gap in the midfield. The wider squad will likely need additions as well given those who could also leave, but as for Arteta's strongest XI on paper, it is this trio of positions Arsenal will be after the most.

It is easier said than done but there are some big names on the market. Up front, Viktor Gyokeres will be one of the players to watch all summer with Sporting CP expected to cash in on him. The price will not be as high as previously stated £80million figures but will still be sizeable. It is said that £60million will do.

Arsenal have been admirers of his for a while and have been reported as looking incredibly closely at him in the early days under Berta (who was only appointed officially on Sunday but has been working behind the scenes already). Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak are the other strikers to have an eye on for Arsenal but it is Gyokeres who keeps on coming back.

The midfield has been a quieter area, for now. Although it is likely that at least two players will be needed - even with Myles Lewis-Skelley and Ethan Nwaneri considered - Martin Zubimendi is the only real player in the public so far. January claims were that he was a done deal heading into the summer but Spanish media suggest it is much more open than that with his £51million release clause.

Real Madrid could go back in for the Real Sociedad man. Liverpool were extremely keen nine months ago. Arsenal's other long-term target is Bruno Guimaraes.

He is not exactly pushing to leave Newcastle United after winning the Carabao Cup. Other players will need to be identified by Berta and the recruitment team to bolster this area.

Then there are the other attackers. Nico Williams remains a hot ticket but will not be an easy signing. Barcelona are among the many teams who have him on their radar and a flexible release clause, which was also at £51million over the summer, is active.

Matheus Cunha is another. He is not exactly a dynamic two-way winger like Williams but he is more forward than midfielder. In reality he probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Wolves have the luxury of building entirely around him as a No.10 and can give him the freedom to roam and sprinkle stardust as and when. Arsenal won't be as liberal and order for more discipline. His red card record will be a worry. Wolves are expected to hold out for at least £50million here as well.

It will take at least £161million, therefore, if Arsenal are to get their three big priorities. That is a lot of money, although some will be offset by sales. This does not include Williams, either, and a winger will be on the list.

The question is how Arsenal fit these guys in. Zubimendi is a simple swap for Partey at the base of midfield. Whether he plays alongside Declan Rice or behind him is opponent-dependent. The makeup of the midfield will be the toughest call for Arteta to make.

If Cunha signs then he is in competition with Odegaard and Nwaneri for the most advanced spot, effectively as an attacker. He is unlikely to replace Odegaard, although competition is always healthy, and balance is needed so cannot play instead of Rice or Zubimendi.

At the back and the defence picks itself with David Raya the final layer of protection after Ben White (right-back), William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes (centre-backs), and Lewis-Skelly (left-back). Jurrien Timber may well feel left out and rightly so, but that is the quality that Arsenal possess.

He could easily be in either full-back spot but in this side, a fully fit White provides more going forward and Lewis-Skelly is more adventurous and tactically flexible. He would also be playing on his natural foot which is a major benefit.

As said, the midfield is trickier to piece together but Zubimendi provides a base for Rice to build from as the ball-carrier in the team on his left. Odegaard is still the best option on the right even if Cunha was to join.

Then there is the dilemma over what to do with Havertz and Gyokeres. Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are the obvious picks (unless Williams arrives) but it does not solve the centre-forward quandary.

Havertz has done little wrong to warrant being dropped but Gyokeres is first-choice should he arrive. Havertz does have the ability to play deeper but has struggled to get to grips with being a No.10 and is not particularly creative as a No.10, even if he does pick up nice areas and offers a threat as a box-crasher.

Having both in the same team will be a challenge if defensive solidity is to be kept. The extra layer available to Arteta would still be crucial to navigating a potential set of injuries, though.

Arsenal dream XI after transfers: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.

Bench: Setford, Timber, Havertz, Nwaneri, Trossard, Merino, Calafiori, Jesus, Cunha.

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