Arteta happy with Arsenal’s transfer window intentions
“We will have to start making some very important decisions if we want to reach another level. We are going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it is going to demand us to be very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
Those were Mikel Arteta’s words in the emotional aftermath of May’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. It was, in effect, a manifesto for the transfer market. Arsenal wanted to stamp their authority on the summer, but now the window has closed, plenty of people are wondering whether the champions of England are actually much stronger than they were before it opened.
The arrivals of proven Premier League talents Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes have gone a long way towards reinforcing a defence and midfield that were already the envy of most clubs. It is further forward where the doubts remain.
Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus have all been sold, with Christos Tzolis the only recognised forward brought in to replace them. The Greece international arrived from Club Brugge to provide another option on the left, but presumably not to become the only one. Arsenal’s high-profile, ultimately unsuccessful pursuits of Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior made that clear enough.
So, is Arteta happy with how things played out? Did the club tick all the boxes he outlined in Budapest?
His response was emphatic.
“Yeah, 100% ticked. The outcome after can be different to what you expect, but the intention was certainly there, which is, in my opinion, what I value the most.”
Understandably, the journalists attending today’s pre-Chelsea press conference were not going to let him off quite that easily. Arteta appeared relaxed for the most part, particularly while the Sky Sports buffoon did his customary best to make himself the centre of attention. There were, however, moments when the manager greeted questions with pursed lips and that intense death stare of his.
Asked about the attacking options at his disposal, he said: “What I have to say is that I love the players that we have, that’s for sure.”
But are they ‘world-class’? That, seemingly, is the label already being applied to Chelsea’s free-scoring attack after the grand total of two games this season.
“I love my players, that’s what I can say,” reiterated Arteta. “In the bracket, how you want to put them, I don’t know. I think at the end of the season we’ll put everybody in their place, and let’s trust them.
“Let’s make sure that we are right behind them, and we do everything we can to help the incredible talent that they have.”
Arsenal list five forwards in their first-team squad: Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and new boy Tzolis. Eberechi Eze could easily be included in that group, while Max Dowman offers another option on the flank following Ethan Nwaneri’s departure on loan.
On paper, there is plenty of talent. The concern is whether there is enough of it. Given the injury problems Arsenal have endured in recent seasons, some supporters fear the squad no longer has the numbers, let alone the required quality, to compete across four fronts following so many departures.
“I understand the point of view as well, but we have to understand as well the amount of minutes that those players [who’ve left] played and the ones that were injured last year, especially in the first six months, and the data shows something completely different.
“But it is what it is. It is what we have, and as I said before, we already have some very, very good players.”
Having spent heavily last summer, and with squad cost ratio regulations to consider, Arsenal remain wary of stretching themselves too far beyond their means despite posting record revenues.
The club-record €70 million sale of Gabriel Martinelli to Al Hilal, combined with the €66 million raised through six other departures, should give them plenty of leeway in future windows. The challenge, as ever, will be spending that money wisely in a market where prices have once again rocketed.
If there was one lesson to take from this window, it was that ambition alone is not always enough when attempting to sign elite-level players. Wanting them is one thing. Persuading their clubs to sell, agreeing a price and somehow making the numbers work is quite another.
“I think Andrea [Berta] is better, or Josh [Kroenke], to talk about that because I’m not in those negotiations,” deflected Arteta.
“They know much better than me, so I think these are questions that are related to the market and all the aspects that I think it’s better that they speak about it.”
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