Arsenal transfer deal that's now impossible for Edu to finish for Mikel Arteta

As far as summer transfer windows go, Arsenal were firstly active and secondly successful. The club, that has so often been beaten to the big-name signings in recent years, finally managed to land some of the heavy blows to other clubs.

£100m for West Ham's Declan Rice looks like a lot of money well spent, while £65m attacker Kai Havertz seems to be slowly settling in to his role under manager Mikel Arteta. Brentford loanee David Raya is still a question mark for many, and left-back Jurrien Timber is yet to be determined following his long-term knee injury, but could be a huge boost in the future.

Among the positions they've failed to truly bolster though over the summer was their striking unit, with Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus set to be their only options - at least for the first half of the season - to score goals. Many have questioned whether the pair, who have just three league goals between them in their first eight matches this campaign, will be enough to continue the title fight against the likes of Manchester City who boast Erling Haaland and Son Heung-min up front for rivals Tottenham.

Some, including Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, have highlighted their concerns about the Gunners frontline. Neville believes that the pair are far too inconsistent for their own good, and they should look for a new frontman in the winter window.

"Nketiah and Jesus," Neville began. "There's been talks of Arsenal going after Ivan Toney in January. There's no doubt that the pair of them work their absolute socks off. But in quality terms, I just found that in those two matches... is that going to be enough to win Arsenal the league?That's my only doubt, it's their centre-forwards because if they had a [Erling] Haaland, if they had a [Harry] Kane, I'd be saying it's Arsenal [to win the league] if they can keep [William] Saliba, Gabriel and Declan Rice fit. But honestly, I worry about Nketiah and Jesus. They're erratic."

One star the Gunners have so often been linked with is Brentford striker Toney, who despite his eight-month ban from Premier League activities has garnered a lot of attention ahead of the transfer window's opening. Arsenal are expected to be one of the main players in the race for the star alongside rivals Chelsea and Tottenham.

However, others have pointed towards an alternative option who seems to have 'gone under the radar' according to Shay Given - Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins. The England international scored the winner in the 1-0 victory over Australia last night, and has already banged in eight goals this season in all competitions alongside four assists in the league under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery.

The star has also previously been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, with Watkins himself once admitting that his 'dream move' would be to play for the Gunners someday. However, no move materialised despite reported interest from Arteta and Arsenal with the star making them regret not moving in for him with his fantastic form this season.

"When you look at other clubs in the Premier League like Arsenal, Chelsea or even Man United, someone of his calibre. I wonder if his agent is sort of secretly saying, 'he is of that level. He can grab goals'," Given told Premier League Productions earlier this season.

"You mention the goal involvements and how many goals he has as well. Without Ollie Watkins, I wouldn't say Villa would be in trouble, but they wouldn't be as strong. He just looks so consistent with his finishing as well. You talk about strikers panicking in front of the goal. He is the opposite. He is a brilliant striker."

Unfortunately for the Gunners, if they fail to land Toney in January, then Watkins will now be an incredibly unlikely backup option for them. The star signed a new deal with Aston Villa last week, which will run through until 2025, a move that is sure to hike his price up exponentially compared to what Arteta and Arsenal might've had to pay in a previous window.

It means that if Toney becomes unavailable, or even worse arrives at a London rival, Arteta and Edu will both be left to rue their former decisions with Watkins in the palms of their hands. There will, of course, be chances to sign players like Lens striker Elye Wahi, who the club have also been linked with, but it appears to be clear that the pair would rather bring in an established striker who has experience in England.