Mikel Arteta spent big in the summer transfer window and the Arsenal boss was clear that the club needed to strengthen after another season without silverware
Mikel Arteta publicly expressed Arsenal’s need to strengthen his squad, and the club’s hierarchy certainly delivered on his transfer demands.
When the summer window slammed shut less than a fortnight ago, the Gunners had splashed out approximately £250million on fresh signings, marking the fourth-largest spending spree across Europe.
Following a third successive season as Premier League runners-up and a fifth consecutive campaign without any trophies, the Spaniard recognised that new additions were essential if the club hoped to complete the final phase of their transformation.
It was following their 1-0 victory over Newcastle last season, which secured their Champions League qualification, that Arteta expressed confidence in his bosses and their commitment to strengthening his squad through substantial investment.
When questioned about whether he felt supported by the board, the Gunners manager replied with assurance: “Yeah, but that’s not something new. They always backed the team, the club in the best possible way.
“They’re not going to be different in the summer. We have to be very smart with the decisions that we take. Obviously we need players because the squad is really short and on top of that we are losing four or five players that are going to end their contracts and their loans are finished.
“We need to be sharp, very disciplined in what we want to do and make sure we are stronger next season. I mean, the plan is done, and the time will be dictated by many parties, many circumstances that unfortunately we don’t control.”
Arteta expressed complete confidence in the club’s hierarchy whilst acknowledging the crucial need to retain their established core, as demonstrated by the fresh deals handed to Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly earlier this summer.
“But we have great people in charge of that, and they’re going to be leading that with the board and ownership,” he continued. “And as well, make sure that the ones that we have, they feel valued, they feel loved, and we make sure that they want to continue with us in the right manner.
“And then the whole environment is excited. That is not just about if we make it, because we cannot start a season like that. And I want to feel that from day one, and I’m going to be very insistent on that.”
Arteta wasn’t alone in demanding summer reinforcements, with his sentiments mirrored by Declan Rice following their Champions League semi-final elimination at the hands of eventual champions PSG.
The England midfielder declared: “Hopefully, we strengthen in the summer, sign more players because we are probably gonna lose a few as well.” Whilst players including Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, Jorginho and Takehiro Tomiyasu left the club as free agents, Arsenal brought in eight fresh faces to the Emirates Stadium.
Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madeuke, Martin Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie have all joined in recent months, with Arteta significantly enhancing the quality of his squad.
Three matches into the new season, Arsenal currently sit third but have already stumbled against one of their title rivals after falling to a 1-0 defeat away to Liverpool before the international break. Nonetheless, Arteta will be expecting a strong reaction from his team when they host Nottingham Forest, who this week appointed Ange Postecoglou, this Saturday.
#Arsenal #resoundingly #answered #Mikel #Artetas #transfer #plea #Declan #Rice #agreed
