Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes confident transfer claim despite Champions League blow - 7M sport

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes confident transfer claim despite Champions League blow



Posted Thursday, July 16, 2020 by Express.co.uk

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is optimistic the Gunners can still attract top-tier players in the transfer market.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes confident transfer claim despite Champions League blow
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes confident transfer claim despite Champions League blow (Image: GETTY)

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that the Gunners will still be able to attract top players to the club despite facing a third successive season without Champions League football. The north Londoners have not finished in the top four since 2015-16 and sit in ninth, nine points off fourth-placed Leicester, ahead of tonight's clash with Liverpool (8.15pm kick-off).

That leaves them facing another season in Europe's second-tier competition, the Europa League, although qualification for that is also far from guaranteed.

Instead, their most likely route into the tournament could be via winning the FA Cup, although they face holders Manchester City in this weekend's semi-finals.

Arsenal could even fail to qualify for European football altogether, which would be the first time they have failed to do so since 1995-96.

Yet Arteta is confident that despite Arsenal's extended absence from the Champions League - which offers extra lure to the continent's highest calibre of talents - they are still attractive to players.

"We've an incredible history, an incredible structure, in a beautiful city and a style of play that attracts players," the Spanish coach said.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes confident transfer claim despite Champions League blow
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes confident transfer claim despite Champions League blow (Image: GETTY)

"And I'm telling you now because when I am closer to the market now when I speak to people, a lot of players want to play for Arsenal.

"It is getting harder and harder because that's obviously something that has to feed each other.

"If you are not in the Champions League and you say 'OK, I don't invest because I don't have the financial ability to do it’, but the other clubs invest, then the gap becomes bigger.

"If I do want to invest and risk, and then I don't reach it, what happens? So at some stage you have to make a decision, whether I want to aim to make that gap closer and go for it, or I stay where I am.

"You see many good examples of teams that have done it and they have come back into form afterwards.

"What I need to do first of all is do my work as well as possible and improve my players.

"Then, at the end of the season, we need to see the direction we want to take, agree on the ambition of the club and realise that where we are the demands are going to be huge.”

Arteta meanwhile feels that Arsenal can learn from tonight's opponents Liverpool, who are now Premier League champions after winning the Champions League last season.

When Jurgen Klopp took over the Reds five years ago, they were in a similar situation to the current Arsenal team, with top-class coaching and the right recruitment since allowing them to catch up - and ultimately surpass - their rivals.

The Gunners boss said: "At the end of the day everything that has to come through our door has to be top, top quality.

"That is the demands of this football club and it cannot be any different. If we have to wait for the right player in order to do that, let’s wait.

"But everything that comes through our door has to be something that significantly increases the level of the team.

"It [Liverpool's team] is a good mixture [of players from relegated and big clubs] because as well they bought players from Monaco, they bought players from Italy.

"You need players that have the experience in the Premier League and they’ve done it here, so in terms of adaption the process it is much quicker.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes confident transfer claim despite Champions League blow
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes confident transfer claim despite Champions League blow (Image: GETTY)

"But as well they bought players with European experience, playing in big national teams with big responsibilities - and, don’t forget, for a big amount of money as well.

"What they have done is phenomenal. Obviously, it took them some time to rebuild the squad and to create a new culture, a new philosophy, and a game model that suited the coach.

"They started to recruit every single player in relation to what they needed and I think where they were really smart is they bought a specificity for every position that was required.

"And financially they had big backing and made some big signings, which completely changed the club.

"The context right now is different to what it was four years ago and the abilities for a club to rebuild something are more limited, but certainly it is something we have to look at, how they did it, because it's a great example.

"But we know we have to do it our way with our resources, having in mind the context right now is different.

"But we are heading to be the best, that is my only objective with this club, and we have to find a way to do it."



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