Arsenal have not yet made their customary signing from Chelsea this year - but there is still time.

There was a time when Arsenal and Chelsea would only do business with each other under one condition: “only if we have to”.

The two London rivals did not actually complete a transfer between themselves until 2006, when Ashley Cole made his hugely controversial move from north London to west London, with William Gallas included in the deal as well.

Even in 2015, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was extremely reluctant to sanction Arsenal's move for Petr Cech - but the transfer had been promised by owner Roman Abramovich.

By 2018, the Gunners were finding it difficult to secure Champions League qualification, while Chelsea were in a much stronger position - which meant Olivier Giroud moved from N5 to SW6 with far less animosity than had surrounded Cesc Fabregas' transfer, via Barcelona, of course.

David Luiz going the other way was not viewed as strengthening a direct rival either, and that was followed by Willian joining the Gunners on a free transfer from the Blues. In more recent seasons, Chelsea have been the club rebuilding, while Arsenal have taken some of their surplus pieces, with manager Mikel Arteta making at least one signing in every year of BlueCo's ownership.

Year

Player/s

2022

Jorginho

2023

Kai Havertz

2024

Raheem Sterling (loan)

2025

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Noni Madueke

It often makes sense for Arsenal to shop in west London: Chelsea have recently built a reputation for stockpiling talent, giving players Premier League development, and then being willing to listen to offers for footballers of a certain level who would cost far more elsewhere.

That was certainly true of Kai Havertz, who was still some way from his peak but had already scored in a Champions League final and clearly improved Arsenal in a problem position. The same applied to Noni Madueke, who had shown significant promise and was available for a reasonable fee on sensible wages, especially compared to other options on the market at the time.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Jorginho and Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, represented market opportunities - and while opinions may differ on how successful each signing has been, all three at least brought experience and squad cover for very little outlay.

Put simply, Arsenal would probably have been quoted at least £80 million for a starting centre-forward by most clubs, but landed Havertz for around £60m. Madueke cost a similar amount to Anthony Elanga, while Chelsea spent nine figures to replace Jorginho with Enzo Fernandez.

So with Chelsea once again trying to trim a 41-man squad, it makes sense for Arsenal to do their rivals another favour.

This is Chelsea, after all, and only a small number of players in their squad - not even counting all of their new signings, amusingly - can truly be considered untouchable.

Arsenal need a left-winger, as has been widely reported, and cover on the right side of defence, while they would probably be open to opportunities across the pitch. It would not be a major surprise if Arteta revisited the idea of reviving Mykhailo Mudryk's career, there has been historic interest in Jamie Gittens, and Nicolas Jackson feels very much like the sort of signing Arsenal might make.

But in truth, the most interesting opportunities are in defence, especially after new manager Xabi Alonso said that his group of nine centre-backs needs to be cut down to “four or five”.

As for players capable of stepping in for either William Saliba or Jurrien Timber, Malo Gusto is valued at £75m amid interest from Manchester City. Wesley Fofana has endured injury issues. Trevoh Chalobah appears set to leave for Como. And with Tosin Adarabioyo, Mamadou Sarr and Aaron Anselmino, either the jury is still out or there simply has not been enough evidence yet. Reece James, meanwhile, is about as unsellable as it gets.

That leaves Josh Acheampong, still only 20, who can operate at both right-back and centre-back and appears to match the technical and tactical profile Arteta wants from a player in that part of the pitch.

The BBC reported in June that the defender is genuinely regarded as part of the club's “untouchable” group, and that Arsenal were among a host of English clubs interested in the England youth international. But with the transfer window moving towards its closing stages, the deal makes a great deal of sense for everyone involved.

Chelsea need to sell before the window shuts after spending heavily again, and while pure-profit sales may not be quite as valuable to the Blues as they once were, they could still command a healthy fee for a player without a clearly defined future - and one who is reportedly keen to leave the club in order to develop elsewhere.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have a very clear pecking order, with Timber and Saliba established as the first-choice options in their respective roles. But it would make sense to sign someone who could realistically challenge either of them within three years, while also adding immediate depth and quality.

FourFourTwo understands that, much like Gusto, Tino Livramento is also valued at around £75m. So if Arsenal were to spend slightly less on Acheampong, could that end up looking like smart business in five years' time, especially with inflation taken into account?