Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta promises ‘big’ summer of spending after Andrea Berta’s arrival as sporting director… and insists Gunners are ‘excited’ to take the next step
- Mikel Arteta’s side sit 12 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race
- Arsenal welcomed new sporting director Andrea Berta to the club this week
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Mikel Arteta has declared that Arsenal are ready for a ‘big’ summer of spending that will take them to the ‘next step’ of a first Premier League crown since 2004.
The bold statement comes with the Gunners all but out of the current title race and in line to finish a third consecutive season as league runners-up.
They can cut the gap to leaders Liverpool to nine points when they host Fulham on Tuesday night – and are boosted by the return to fitness of star winger Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal have long been linked with marquee strikers Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko, but they are now said to have ramped up their interest in Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.
The 26-year-old Swede has struck 42 goals in 42 games this season. Arteta said: ‘The way we planned the five first summers (since I took charge), they were going to be very big and they were going to have different objectives because the turnaround of players and the objective of those windows was different.
‘Now we want to increase the depth of the squad, but as well we want to increase the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step. It’s going to be a big one and we are very excited about it.’
Mikel Arteta has declared that Arsenal are ready for a ‘big’ summer in the transfer window
The boss urged that he and his players are ‘very excited’ to take the next step towards a title
His excitement comes after Arsenal’s appointment of new sporting director Andrea Berta (left)
Arteta’s bullish prediction is a reminder of the build-up to the summer of 2023, when the Gunners splashed out £105million on Declan Rice, £65m on Kai Havertz and £38.5m on Jurrien Timber.
Monday marked Arteta’s first press conference since the appointment of sporting director Andrea Berta. The 53-year-old ex-Atletico Madrid transfer guru has replaced Edu, who Mail Sport revealed in November had left Arsenal to take on a multi-club role under Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
On the arrival of Berta, Arteta said: ‘What I’m very confident about is how he’s going to make everybody better. Because of the way he is, because of the personality he has, the way he talks and how passionate he is. And that’s what we need. New blood with people that are ambitious.’
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Spurs will play each other in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong – the first time a north London derby has been held outside of the UK. The July 31 fixture is part of the Hong Kong Football Festival.
