The £46m blockbuster Arsenal summer signing that could supercharge next season's Premier League title bid

The one-dimensional nature of Arsenal’s decaying 2025/26 campaign was laid bare in their Champions League semi-final with PSG for the world to see.

Arsenal’s first appearance in the final four at Europe’s top table since 2009 and the unequivocal focus of the remainder of their season boiled down to giving the ball to Bukayo Saka in PSG’s final third and hoping he could create a goal.

He made as many take-on attempts as seven of the rest of Arsenal’s players combined in the first leg, and led his team in touches in the opposition penalty area by an absolute street in Paris, appearing at or near the top of almost every red-and-white attacking stat as well as scoring the Gunners’ only goal across the tie.

But while PSG’s multi-faceted attack featured an embarrassment of riches with Luis Enrique able to call on Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue (at a combined value of €285 million or £239m), Saka’s supporting cast was far less star-studded in the form of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino.

The good news is that the problem is clear and the solutions are attainable thanks partly to shrewd business 12 months ago as Arsenal raised close to £100m through the departures of Emile Smith Rowe, Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah. And Mikel Arteta may be close to harvesting the first fruit of that labour with Arsenal in pole position to bring Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jamie Gittens back to England.

Arsenal lead Chelsea in race for Jamie Gittens

The Reading-born winger emulated Jadon Sancho in swapping the Manchester City youth ranks for Dortmund in 2020, and is set to net The Prussians a similarly tidy profit with Gittens commanding a €55m (£46m) transfer value this summer according to Caught Offside.

Gittens has three years left on his contract so Dortmund are in a strong position to negotiate. That may already count Newcastle out of the race given the potential Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) problems looming on Tyneside so this looks like a straight dogfight between Arsenal and Chelsea especially given the 20-year-old wants to go home if he is to leave Dortmund this summer.

Ironically, Chelsea’s transfer policy is aimed at emulating PSG’s success through discarding established superstars and focussing on a young core who can develop together and Gittens would fit that mould, though nailing down a starting berth in the first team against so much competition could prove challenging.

Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke is a fine attacking trio and with Chelsea’s primary focus this window at striker, how committed will Enzo Maresca be to chasing Gittens? By contrast, Arsenal must upgrade their threat level on the left flank and Arteta has the ammunition to land Gittens.

How Jamie Gittens can ignite Arsenal’s title charge

Arsenal have been linked with a host of elite wingers this transfer window to pair with Bukayo Saka including Rodrygo, Anthony Gordon and Nico Williams. But two factors make Gittens a better fit than any of those targets: his finishing and dribbling abilities. Goals minus expected goals is an incredibly nerdy stat that your uncle may hate (though should love) effectively measuring how well a player is outperforming their chances or in simpler terms: who is the best finisher.

The much-heralded Chris Wood has been the benchmark for this in the 2025/26 Premier League at 7.36 goals over expected, with Gittens also in the top 20 in Europe’s top five leagues. But average that out over 90 minutes and it gets even better, Gittens and Wood are both at +0.23 and sit in the top 10 across the continent.

Bearing in mind how goal-shy the Gunners have appeared at times this season (if I haven’t already lost you) this means that Gittens effectively conjures a goal up out of nowhere every four games. He’s been as potent a finisher this season as Wood and given only three of Arsenal’s 40 dropped points this season have been by more than a goal, that dead-shot could’ve made a 7-9 point difference in the Premier League table all on its own.

And Gittens is a menace with the ball at his feet. He’s phenomenal at receiving a pass and carrying the ball up the field, especially taking the ball into the penalty areas. Absurdly, Gittens ranks in the top 1% against Europe’s other elite wingers and attacking midfielders at successful take-ons (i.e. beating a defender) at 3.57 per game and scores directly after such dribbles once every four games.

With the modern game so heavily criticised for the dominance of passing philosophies, Gittens is a breath of fresher air who still prefers to just take the ball at his feet and run with it at the opposition net, often embarrassing defenders and goalkeepers in the process.

His link-up play could definitely improve - no one would describe him as a visionary passer - but he’ll be a tender 21 at the start of next season so it’s not like Gittens is the finished article. Rather, the raw materials are just that good this soon and fill an aching need for Arsenal so snugly there’s an argument to be made that he should be Mikel Arteta’s number one target in the transfer window.