Following yesterday's opening pre-season friendly against Barnet, reporters pinned down Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, to get him on the record about his intentions in the transfer market before the window of opportunity disappears.

Wenger went public, stating he would sign "two maximum but one certainly."

The exodus from the Emirates has been well-documented. Jens Lehmann, Aleksandr Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva have all walked out the door, with Emmanuel Adebayor's future remaining in the balance despite Arsene's insistence that "Adebayor is under contract and we expect him to turn up on Monday and practise with us."

With Tomas Rosicky still unavailable in time for the big kick-off, Wenger's midfield looks a little light. The natural assumption is that any new signings to be brought in will reinforce the centre of the park. Gareth Barry has been linked, so has Torstein Frings - the German rumour suggesting that Arsenal are willing to divert from their standard transfer policy of buying young, highlighting the significance of this problem. (Why Arsenal let Lassana Diarra leave seems all the more puzzling.)

If the season were to begin tomorrow, Arsenal's midfield would most likely be Emmanuel Eboue or Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri. The lynchpin continues to be Cesc, who reaffirmed his reputation at Euro 2008, but question marks remain against his comrades across the centre of the pitch.

Eboue is one of the few players not immediately adored by Arsenal fans. Limited as an attacking right-winger, and unable to displace Bacary Sagna at right-back, Eboue is a player who is liable to fall between the cracks. His main challenger on the right-wing, Walcott, may have shown real evidence of his potential last season, but the time for learning is quickly coming to an end and pressure is mounting for the youngster to finally break through on the big stage.

The same is true of Diaby. The Frenchman chalked up 28 appearances last campaign, chipping in with four goals, yet his development was stunted by Flamini, who made the central-midfield his own in his incredible season. Diaby now has a clear passage into the first team, but whether he can stamp his authority on the position and step up both domestically and in the Champions League remains a doubt.

Nasri is the unknown quantity - the big-name signing who arrives with expectation on his shoulders. Arsenal have long had a history of fantastic left wingers, all the way through from Marc Overmars to Robert Pires and, most recently, Hleb. On paper and on YouTube, Nasri seems to fit the bill; hopefully the same will be true on the field.

If Arsenal didn’t add one more player this summer, they would still have enough to maintain their top-four status. The return of Robin van Persie, along with the expected comeback of Rosicky and Eduardo in the opening months of the season, together with their formidable defence, gives the team a rock-solid foundation from which to attack the new footballing year.

But having failed to pick up any silverware in the past three seasons, claiming a winners' medal is the top priority in north London.