Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal's summer transfer business ahead of Sunday's home clash with Chelsea, invoking the spirit of former manager Arsène Wenger while dismissing supporter anxiety over the club's failure to land a marquee attacker.
Arsenal head into the match unbeaten in three games this season, including a Community Shield triumph over Manchester City, without conceding a single goal. The club are among the favourites to defend the Premier League title they won last May after a lengthy wait.
At Aston Villa on Monday night, Arteta turned to a bench stocked with talent, introducing Spain World Cup winners Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi alongside marquee arrival Bruno Guimarães, plus Eberechi Eze and new defender Ezri Konsa. The depth on display underlined how the squad has evolved since last season.
Asked whether his squad is stronger than the one that finished last term, Arteta was unequivocal. "Yes I do," he said. "We are better equipped. We have more players available. We have increased the quality and we have increased the leadership in the team as well, which is very important."
Despite that, some supporters have expressed frustration since the transfer window closed, unhappy that Arsenal did not add a marquee forward. Arteta addressed the mood by referencing Wenger's old observation about football's obsession with novelty, and framed the criticism through what he called a "reverse bucket list" — an appreciation for what a club already possesses rather than fixating on what it lacks.
"It's human nature," Arteta said. "When you talk to people and you ask them … normally, it's: 'OK, what is on your bucket list?' People write a lot about the bucket list. And sometimes we forget the reverse bucket list, which is the things that you already have in your life that are incredible. But you put so much emphasis on them that nothing seems to be enough."
He added: "It's very important to value what we have, what we have created together. To have ambition is great, especially to evolve the things we already have within the club. But listen — don't lose perspective to what we already have, which is amazing."
Arsenal strengthened their defence with Konsa and added steel in midfield through Guimarães, but the forward line has seen more departures than arrivals. Christos Tzolis was the only incoming attacking option, while Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri all left the club. Trossard, out of contract after this season, joined Besiktas for £15.3m, while Martinelli departed for a club-record £60m fee from Al-Hilal despite contributing goals in cup competitions last term. Jesus, who scored six times in nine appearances across all competitions last season, moved to Barcelona in a deal worth up to £12.9m, and Nwaneri joined Borussia Dortmund on loan with a January recall option after a temporary spell at Marseille.
Arteta acknowledged the scale of departures but urged caution before judging the attacking unit. "It's another question and we have to prove in that particular position whether we are better or not," he said. "Let's see. I understand the point of view but we have to understand as well the amount of minutes that those players played. And the ones that were injured last season, especially in the first six months. It is what it is."
There is optimism internally that Eze can offer a different but effective option on the left, with Riccardo Calafiori potentially pushing higher from left-back. Arsenal are also hopeful that a revamped medical department can help key players like Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz stay fit throughout the campaign.
The summer also saw Arsenal miss out on high-profile targets including Vinícius Júnior, who signed a new deal at Real Madrid, and Julián Alvarez, who opted to stay at Atlético Madrid. The club also lost out on Morgan Rogers, who ended up joining Chelsea from Aston Villa for £117m — a fee well above Arsenal's £80m offer. Villa later loaned in Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea with a conditional purchase clause valued around £40m, a deal that will add extra intrigue to Sunday's fixture given Rogers' proximity to both clubs.
Arteta declined to elaborate extensively on the difficulties in closing deals for elite targets, instead pointing to the broader efforts of the club's hierarchy. "To get these deals done in this market is complicated," he said. "I don't know how it looks from the outside but we have put in everything that we possibly could to make those deals happen and we made most of them happen. We have been very efficient with what Andrea has done in the market again. It has been incredible, the support of all the club and that's it. It's not perfect but it doesn't need to be perfect."
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.