Arsenal: Arteta makes transfer admission; discusses future of £13m star and ‘nasty injury’ to Martinelli
Mikel Arteta has been asked about Arsenal’s transfer plans ahead of the summer and he has praised Granit Xhaka, who is being linked with Bayer Leverkusen.
The Gunners are set to finish second in the Premier League this season and this means they will be playing in the Champions League in 2023/24.
Arsenal have not competed in this competition since the 2016/17 campaign and they will need to add to their squad to cope with the demands they will face next season.
When asked if his current Arsenal squad has enough depth, Arteta told reporters. “No. At the level that we want no. We didn’t have the capacity to do that as well with the Europa League so it’s part of that evolution.
“We have made a lot of good steps and strong steps in that journey and we have to continue. That never ends. We want to be better and the rest will be better, then the margins will be higher and we have to start to live with those standards and improve and be smarter.
“That doesn’t mean only signing players. It’s to improve our own players. There are players that we haven’t had the best out of them this season.
“There are a few players where they haven’t had the minutes or the performances and we have to seek as well for those players to give us a different edge. It’s not only about signing players. It’s about resources and staff and improving certain things that can be done better or more efficiently or smarter.”
Arteta also revealed that Arsenal will have a “discussion” with £13m Leverkusen target Xhaka this summer.
“The clarity is there. He is a player that has played I think every minute since I have been the manager,” he added.
“He is an incredibly respected figure at the club. He has a great story around him with what he has achieved at the club in going through very tough moments and he is a key and very important part of us. Whatever happens is something we will discuss, certainly not now.”
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Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Aaron Ramsdale has penned a new long-term contract and Arteta has admitted that they are “working” on deals for other players.
“Delighted with the news for Aaron. He fully deserves that new contract, that extension and we want to keep our talent at the club and we want to build on that. There are a few more who are very relevant for us to continue with that relationship. We’re working on that.”
On Arsenal duo Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Martinelli, he added: “They’re both out for the rest of the season.
“Gabriel has a pretty nasty injury, we need to assess in the next week how long he’ll be out for, but it will be at least weeks. With Alex, it’s a calf issue and he won’t be available to play the next two games.”
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