Mikel Arteta urges booing Arsenal fans to be patient

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged fans to be patient and show their support for the team while the squad rebuild and transition period is still ongoing.

The Gunners have spent close to £130m on five new players so far this summer, ticking off every position they had been targeting – full-back, centre-back, goalkeeper and two midfielders.

But it has already been a very difficult start to the season. Arsenal were soundly beaten by newly promoted Brentford on the opening night of the campaign and were then outplayed by a Chelsea side not yet at full pace in their maiden home game at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal face West Brom in the EFL Cup second round on Wednesday night, a product of not having European football this season for the first time since 1995/96, but things then get tougher again with a trip to face Manchester City in the Premier League before the end of the month.

There were boos at the Emirates on Sunday when the Gunners were second best against Chelsea and it has already been reported that Arteta may only the next four league games after facing City to save his job – against Norwich, Burnley, Tottenham and Brighton.

The boss has now called on fans to get behind the team and understand that the process of rebuilding a squad is not a quick one.

“I think [fans] tried to support the team very much and I know they are disappointed when you lose at home, there has to be some reaction, but this is a project that is going to take some time,” Arteta explained in an honest interview with Arsenal.com.

“You can see and tell from the recruitment that we’ve done and the really young squad that we have at the moment and it cannot happen overnight.

“We all want to make it as quick as possible and we know that the responsibility for us it to fight with the top teams in every competition and that’s not going to change, and I think we really need them and this group of players really needs them and the club needs them now next to us because we need that confidence, that support and that energy.”

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