The most important transfer Arsenal will make for Mikel Arteta and it's not Thomas Partey

Mikel Arteta will be keen to bolster his midfield options during the summer transfer window

A 2-1 victory in the FA Cup final ended a rather eventful domestic campaign for Arsenal.

After two head coaches and unforeseen levels of disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Gunners finished with another FA Cup trophy and a feeling that things are heading in the right direction under Mikel Arteta.

However, attention will quickly turn to the transfer market with Arsenal needing to address a number of areas across the pitch.

An early piece of good news ahead of an action-packed transfer window was Dani Ceballos outlining that he would like to stay at the club for the 2020/21 campaign.

A decision is yet to be made by his parent club Real Madrid but the 23-year-old appears to be happy in north London.

He told El Pais: "If I had to choose Arsenal again, I would.

"When I have had continuity, like now at Arsenal, I have been enjoying and developing good football. My hope is to continue at this level: right now I feel like the leader of this important team, a player with stripes.

"Surrounded by people who believe in you, it is easier to believe in people. When you play like this and you also have the confidence of the coach everything is easier."

Ceballos’ willingness to stay at Arsenal this summer points towards a promising future for the club, but one that will undoubtedly demand several pieces of good transfer business.

In the case of Ceballos, as well as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club’s top priority should be trying to keep this group of players together before thinking about potential new arrivals.

The Spanish midfielder has been excellent in the second half of the campaign and his man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea on Saturday showed why the Gunners should do everything they can to keep him for at least one more season.

Continued links to Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey suggest Arsenal may be looking to bolster the long-term midfield options in the transfer market, but there are a number of reasons to suggest that Ceballos should be the number one target.

Since Arteta arrived at the Emirates back in December, the majority of his work with the current squad has been about getting the very best from each player in different tactical systems.

The Arsenal head coach has favoured a more possession-based style of play than Unai Emery but a clear shift in the balance of the team has been an important factor.

Ceballos has arguably been the most crucial element of adding a balance between defence and attack since Arteta’s arrival.

The 23-year-old’s ability to retain possession in key areas and progress into the final third has helped the likes of Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette receive more opportunities in front of goal.

In addition, his impressive performance against Chelsea on Saturday highly contrasted the lack of defensive structure and penetration in the Blues’ midfield which proved to be a decisive factor in the match – and one that has traditionally gone against Arsenal’s midfield.

Those factors are worth bearing in mind when the Gunners’ hierarchy discuss transfer plans this summer.

Ceballos is a player who has already proven to be a success under Arteta and his increasing importance towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign highlights why he should be a top priority.

Partey, of course, remains an attractive proposition if signing him is financially viable.

But the domestic campaign being just six weeks away suggests that trusting in tried and trusted players would be a big sign of the club’s belief in Arteta to take Arsenal forward.

Mikel Arteta confirms he has already laid out his Arsenal transfer plans to Raul Sanllehi(SEE HIS PLANS)

After beating Chelsea in the FA Cup Final Arsenal now set out on the rebuild Arteta is planning

Once more Arsenal entered the final day of their season knowing that their future plans were dependent on the outcome of one match. This time, 14 months on from the gut-punch of Baku, they got what they needed.

Beating Chelsea at Wembley is above all else a sporting triumph for Arsenal, winners of 10% of FA Cups in the competitions' 139-year history. It is further vindication for Mikel Arteta and those who appointed him, among whom in Raul Sanllehi was one figure who had championed his arrival after Arsene Wenger's exit in 2018 and offers propulsion for a new season that will begin in less than four weeks at Wembley with the Community Shield.

Arteta would be the first to insist that Arsenal should expect far more than Europa League football but it is hard to overstate its importance for the 2020/21 season and beyond. Financially it means at least £30million in payments from UEFA and matchday revenue that comes with reaching the group stage.

If Arteta's side were to repeat their run to the final in Baku in 2018/19 then they could hope to earn £35million solely from UEFA before any other income is considered. It is not Champions League money but in the current climate, it is of vital importance to the Gunners.

Some of the continental bounties will be redirected to players, whose 12.5% pay cut for the 12 months from April will now be reduced to 7.5%. Some will go to the transfer fund, allowing Arteta, head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director to do more in the market than might have otherwise been possible.

Arteta has long been planning for multiple scenarios depending on what form of European football Arsenal find themselves playing in. His vision has, he confirmed in the afterglow of the Wembley triumph, already been presented to those who will be tasked with executing it.

"They know everything, I present everything to them: my vision, what my plans are, why I want to do it," he said. "Then all together we will try our best to be in the best possible position when we start the new season."

Cup glory

Chief among his demands are a dynamic presence in central midfield - Thomas Partey of Atletico Madrid remains their preferred choice - and an injection of further quality in defence with Malang Sarr on their radar. The latter will require players to be offloaded in spite of the greater funds Arsenal now have to work with.

Arteta is also understood to want an injection of greater creativity into his frontline. Arsenal is also optimistic that they will be able to secure the services of Dani Ceballos, excellent once more at Wembley, and, with the player keen to spend more time in north London, it will now be down to the Gunners and Real Madrid to agree on the specifics of a deal where the latter is believed to favour a permanent sale.

How much of this rebuild would have been possible without European football is, Arsenal are relieved to acknowledge, now unknowable. As if beating London rivals at Wembley was not pressure enough the financial ramifications of defeat weighed heavily on the club.

Arteta did all he could to ensure that it was not transmitted to his squad. "I didn’t want to add too much pressure to the players," he said.

"I know how important it was, it was very important because we need to be in Europe. It’s a must for our club as well financially because it’s a big step forward to allow us to do more things in the future and have a better structure financially at the club as well.

"I’m very pleased for both the team winning the trophy and having the option to play in Europe."

Arteta at least has the cornerstone of his rebuild in place and has confirmed that he plans to build his team around Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose two goals brought Arsenal victory after slipping to an early deficit when Christian Pulisic struck. There remains the matter of his contract, in its final 10 months, to sort, though the Arsenal boss hopes the next seven days could bring progress.

Saturday was hardly the first occasion this season in which Aubameyang's goals have dug Arsenal out of a hole whilst the club captain also netted both goals in the semi-final win over Manchester City among his 29 in 44 appearances across all competitions.

That he has done so much despite being pushed into a wide left role by Arteta only serves to burgeon his standing among the many great strikers to have played for Arsenal.

"We always had incredible strikers in this football club, Auba deserves to be compared with the big names," the Arsenal boss said. "By winning trophies he will be closer to that, the longer he stays there as well. Hopefully, we can have him for more years.

"The biggest problem probably was to convince him as well to work the way he is working because he was going to get more rewarded, more respected and then that will go from respect to admiration.

"Admiration from his team-mates, the people who work with him and the fans. Now with the way he’s conducting himself on and off the pitch, he’s got that."

Source: Football.london