Arsenal already making huge summer transfer plans with talks between sporting director Edu and Mikel Arteta starting

According to sporting director Edu, ARSENAL is already looking towards the summer transfer window.

The Gunners have compiled the most unlikely Premier League title win this season and are five points clear of Manchester City with eleven games left.

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One of the many positive areas of this campaign for the north Londoners has been their recruitment – both last summer and in the winter window.

The arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, as well as Jorginho and Leandro Trossard in January have turned Mikel Arteta’s team into serious contenders.

And despite pressure to hold off Pep Guardiola’s City in an incredible Prem run-in, Edu says plans to further strengthen the squad are underway.

Arsenal are heavily linked with a move for West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice which could cost in excess of £100million.

Asked when planning for the summer will start, Edu – who won two Prem titles while at Arsenal – said: “It’s already started because you know what’s happening in the market, everyone is doing something.

“You also have to plan with people just to be prepared, so if you go back in the summer you’re very prepared.”

He continued: “I always make myself comfortable going into the transfer window when we’ve prepared for how to face these challenges.

In the Premier League there are many clubs and many good managers, so the competition is tough. So as soon as you prepare well, you will feel comfortable.

“So we went into the winter period very, very well prepared and then started making some quick and important decisions.

“So far it’s helping the team and the team is performing well, that’s good.”

Edu has previously spoken about the five-year plan he put in place at board level upon his return to the club – and suggested that this would be the season Arteta should be judged.

So far the Brazilian has been right. He added: “I think we’re in the right place to play well.

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“Obviously the performance of the team and the way we play is something special. I see around us that everyone wants to follow us. Everyone wants to watch us.

“I get a lot of messages from Brazil and South America and other places, which is very nice.

“We are very excited about where we are at the moment, but we have to understand that there is still a journey ahead of us to do things.

“Obviously we’re happy to be in the moment we’re in now, but we have to understand that there’s still work to be done to move on.”

A final push is required to complete the job. After narrowly missing out on a place in the top four last season, Tottenham’s initial aim in August was to return to the Champions League for the first time since 2017.

Has the expectation changed? Edu explained: “We train every day, prepare as best we can and think as best we can.

“We don’t think about anything, just the next game, how we can improve, how we can get better individually and as a team.

“At the end of the season we’ll see where we stand. So our intention is to live week by week, game by game, enjoying the games and trying to be the best possible version for the season.