Arsenal’s title success has given Mikel Arteta breathing room, but the club’s recruitment team are already mapping out reinforcements for next season. According to The Guardian, their top striker target this summer is Bournemouth teenager Junior Kroupi. The 19-year-old’s breakthrough campaign attracted attention after he scored in Bournemouth’s 1–1 draw with Manchester City, a goal that helped clinch the title for Arsenal.

The report suggests Kroupi could command a fee of around £80 million ($107 million). Arsenal value his versatility; he can operate centrally and on the left, an area the squad must improve. Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all said to be interested, so any move would face significant competition.

Kroupi is only one of several forward options being considered. Interest in Julián Alvarez dates back to last summer, and while Barcelona remain the front-runners should he depart Atlético Madrid, Arsenal now see themselves as genuine contenders. Alvarez offers a blend of attributes described in the original report: the clinical edge of Viktor Gyökeres, the hold-up play of Kai Havertz and the positional intelligence of Gabriel Jesus. After a 29-goal debut season with Atléti, he has added a further 20 goals this term and an impressive 10 assists.

The left wing is identified as a priority. Gabriel Martinelli has struggled this season and could be sold, while Leandro Trossard is 31 and faces a contract expiry next summer. Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is viewed as a dream signing but appears unlikely, so Bradley Barcola is floated as a realistic alternative. The 23-year-old has been PSG’s fourth-choice forward, produced 39 goal involvements last season and supplied another 21 this term.

If Martinelli and Trossard leave, Arsenal would likely need two left wingers; Barcola and Anthony Gordon are named as possibilities. Gordon has been linked amid exit rumours from Newcastle United and recorded 17 goals and five assists across all competitions, with 10 goals in the Champions League while often deployed up front.

Midfield depth is also on the agenda. Sandro Tonali was offered to Arsenal in January after Mikel Merino’s long-term injury, though a deal did not materialise. Tonali remains a target for Manchester United and Chelsea, and would complement a midfield containing Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi and Martin Ødegaard. The clear message is that Arsenal want to build depth to sustain multiple-title challenges.

Arsenal are widely reported to be preparing a new contract for Mikel Arteta that would lift him to the top of the Premier League pay ranks and place him among the game’s highest earners. The reward follows the end of a 22-year wait for Premier League glory and arrives as Arsenal ready themselves for a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Arteta’s commitment to the club has been clear. “I’m fully committed here,” he said. “I’m really happy and I feel good. My family’s good. I still have so much ambition and things to do at this club. For now, we are in a good place.” Clubs and agents are said to be working on terms described by one report as a “lucrative” new contract, according to The Guardian.

Current figures cited in reports put Arteta’s earnings at about $13.4 million (£10 million), with an additional $6.7 million payable for Champions League qualification. The new agreement is expected to “come close” to the world-leading managerial salary of $34.8 million reportedly collected by Atlético Madrid boss Diego Simeone.

Simeone has sat atop the list of managerial high earners for years. Atlético’s place in the global financial hierarchy helps explain that figure: the club is listed as the 13th richest on the planet with annual revenue of $531.7 million. Real Madrid and Barcelona occupy the top two spots with earnings more than double Atlético’s.

Elsewhere, L’Équipe has placed Simone Inzaghi at Al Hilal as Simeone’s closest financial challenger on roughly $29.2 million a year. Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola is widely credited with a salary around $26.8 million, which currently makes him the Premier League’s top earner. Arteta’s proposed terms may exceed that lofty figure, and he is all but guaranteed to stand out as England’s highest paid manager as Guardiola sails off into the sunset.

Tuesday night brought a milestone for Arsenal as the club secured its first Premier League title in 22 years. Players and staff gathered in front of a television at the Sobha Training Center to watch, then celebrated with champagne, a rendition of Queen’s “We are the Champions” and embraces. The occasion also prompted public praise for the manager who led the team to the summit.

Former players singled out Mikel Arteta for his tactical approach, sustained belief and for guiding the club back to the top of English football. Several alumni offered reflections and congratulations in print, on social platforms and in broadcast interviews.

Dani Ceballos, the 29-year-old midfielder who spent two seasons at Arsenal after joining on loan from Real Madrid in 2019 and returning for 2020–21, was among the first to pay tribute. He recorded two goals and six assists in 77 matches for the Gunners and is now back with Real Madrid, where he is under contract until June 2027. “Congratulations to Arsenal, the players and the fans for winning the league title,” he wrote on X Tuesday night.

“Especially to Mikel Arteta. You always believed in the club and worked harder than anyone to achieve this. You deserve it, boss.”

Granit Xhaka, the former Arsenal captain and Swiss international who joined in 2016 from Borussia Monchengladbach and spent seven years at the club before departing after the 2022–23 season, also posted praise. He left with a tally of 23 goals and 29 assists across 297 appearances and now plays for Sunderland in a key starting role. “A special team, great players, and a club that never stopped believing, but this is all because of you, Mikel,” he posted on his Instagram story , alongside a photo of him hugging Arteta.

“To everyone who doubted you, give this man and this coach the respect he deserves. Congratulations to the whole Arsenal family.”

Ian Wright, the former Arsenal forward turned English media personality who spent seven seasons at the club between 1991 and 1998 and made 296 appearances, reflected on Arteta’s impact in broadcast comments. “What can I say, Mikel,” Wright said to Stan Sport. “Unbelievable. For what he’s done. Almost visionary what he’s done.

“He came in and turned everything around, got the owners on the [same] side, got the fans on side, got players out and players in. Stuck to his principles. It’s amazing.”

Former centre back Matthew Upson, now 47, who played at Arsenal from 1997 to 2003 after beginning at Luton Town in Bedfordshire and helped the team record six clean sheets in 34 Premier League appearances across those seasons, added: “Arteta has been desperate for it, it’s a big body of work to get them to this place,” Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live . “I’m very happy for him in particular. ]”