Mikel Arteta Hints at More Summer Signings at Arsenal
By Mitch Wilks
Mikel Arteta has stated that more new signings could be needed in order for Arsenal to close the gap between themselves and the top sides in the Premier League.
Arsenal beat Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties to win the 2020 Community Shield ahead of the start of the 2020/21 season, but Arteta believes there's still plenty of work to do in the coming weeks and months.
Quoted by the Guardian, Arsenal's head coach challenged his side to find some consistency next season: "I believe we are closing the gap but one thing is to do it in a short period of time, and another is to be able to sustain it for 10 months".
He added that Arsenal are heading in the 'right direction' but are still looking to strengthen their squad: "We are trying to assess in the market to improve our balance in certain positions and improve the quality as well.
"My biggest fight at this club is to convince these players we can fight with these clubs in the long term, and that they are better than what they showed last year".
Arteta praised his side's change in mentality ahead of their clash with Klopp's Liverpool, revealing: "They had a lot of respect for Liverpool but they wanted to really go for it and believed they could win another trophy. And from the first minute they showed quality and courage on the pitch.”
Arsenal took the lead after 12 minutes through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but Takumi Minamino's equaliser for the Reds saw the final go to penalties, where the Gunners won 5-4 thanks to Aubameyang's winning penalty. It was a positive performance from the north London side, who looked much improved once more and picked up their second piece of silverware under Arteta - having won the FA Cup last season.
Speaking on his star striker, Arteta revealed that he expects Aubameyang to extend his stay with Arsenal and sign a new contract with the club imminently.