What do Arsenal need to challenge for the Premier League next season?

Is it time for the Gunners to challenge for the Premier League title again? They are odds-on favourites with Coral at 4/5 to retain the FA Cup this season, and 1/14 to secure a top four finish.

Momentum is on their side, and if Chelsea slip up enough, the north London outfit could even win the league. That is, though, ambitious. Under Jose Mourinho, that won’t be allowed to happen at the Blues.

Now the stadium is paid off, the sky is the limit. In the last two years they have made marquee signings in the form of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez with a number of other quality players.

It is widely thought that Arsenal need to strengthen in defensive midfield this summer and Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin continues to be linked. He definitely fits the bill, as does Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender. There is no doubt that the Gunners will spend big, but the question is, on who? Wenger surprised everyone by bringing in Ozil and Sanchez, as they were names no-one could predict, and it is likely that he will do so again.

Recruiting a centre back could also be a possibility, with Laurent Koscielny approaching 30 and Per Mertesacker already hitting that marker. Although Gabriel Paulista was brought in from Villarreal in January, he is still a raw talent, and someone like Schalke’s Germany international Benedikt Howedes could be an ideal long term replacement for one of the former two.

With Chelsea allowing Petr Cech to leave at the end of the season, the £10m fee quoted for the goalkeeper would be easily affordable for the Gunners, with doubts emerging over Wojciech Szczesny. His arrival at the Emirates can definitely give Arsenal a fighting chance of competing for the title once more.

The Marco Reus link has resurfaced once more, with doubts over the future of Theo Walcott. While the German attacker is a definite upgrade, he is also injury prone and has just signed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund. A more realistic target could be Palermo’s exciting Argentinian attacker Paulo Dybala, who is said to be available for around the £30m mark.