Mikel Arteta says it is “about time” that Arsenal made aggressive moves in the transfer market, as he reflected the sense of excitement in the club’s dressing-room at the prospect of Arsène Wenger doing precisely that.
The Gunners are currently away on their pre-season tour of Asia and have been linked with stellar names such as Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney and Gonzalo Higuain this summer.Arsenal are in a position of greater financial strength due to renegotiated commercial contracts.
Arteta feels that the prospective additions are essential if the club is to compete for a first trophy since 2005 and he noted how a transfer coup would lift the mood of everybody at the Emirates Stadium.
The club have said they are going to be very ambitious in the market and have got the financial resources to get big players. I think it’s about time. When you compare us to the other top English clubs and the money they have paid, we are very far apart.
The value of this club is the class and what it means is very difficult to match. Now, financially, they are very strong so maybe we will be more aggressive in the transfer market. There has never been a tradition at Arsenal to pay crazy, crazy money.
I am excited. They made it public that they are going to go big and the sort of players they have been linked with makes me happy.
It creates a good atmosphere and we need to do something because the other teams are doing it, and I think we will.
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I believe we can be contenders again but it also creates a genuine atmosphere for the fans and they need that because we haven’t won trophies in the last years. They need something back. I believe in what we have but if we can strengthen a bit, then we are going to make the gap with the other teams much closer. That’s what we’re looking for.
Arteta also insists there has been a noticeable increase in morale at the club of late, with previous summers being dominated by the departures of Robin van Persie, Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
He added :
I was disappointed when Robin left. He was the best player in our team, he made the difference for us. I didn’t want him to go but we had to accept that he wanted to move on to a new challenge.
There’s a difference [in spirit] when you are trying to sell players and when you are trying to buy. The difference between those two concepts is very big. If we do well [in the transfer market], I think you will see the difference on the pitch.
Arteta joined Arsenal from Everton two years ago, at the end of a transfer window which saw the club sell star midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
Mikel Arteta is the back bone of our midfileld. He played the third-most minutes of any Arsenal player, behind only Cazorla and Mertesacker,his contributions were immense, if not always visible. He’s one of those players who does nothing flashy – he doesn’t fire pinpoint-accurate passes from 65 yards away, but he will make the right 10 yard diagonal pass all damn day, and he’s quietly good at defending as well even though that’s not really his brief.
Mikel Arteta will play an important role in whether Arsenal can be more competitive in the league next season and challenge for trophies. If Arsenal can buy a quality defensive mid-fielder in the mould of Alex Song, it may allow Arteta to be more expressive.
What do you say Gooners?
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