Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has reiterated his desire to sign a striker this summer.
He recently revealed that while he plans to buy a centre-forward, he is aware that it’ll be a difficult position to fill.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s return to EPL football vs Liverpool, Arteta revealed that he wants the best players in his team, and if there are 3 strikers available who can guarantee more than 25 goals per season, he wants them all.
Arteta, however, revealed that there are not many strikers who can deliver goals consistently right now, especially in the English league, and the stats will back him up.
“Do I have to make it more clear? In January it was clear or not? I told you because you were in the room I think many times and it was a very clear statement. The statement continues the same.
I want the best team, the best player. If we have three goal scorers over 25, bring them in and we’re going to be a much better team.
Probably they are because there’s not that many that put those numbers [up]. It’s something that’s in the stats. There’s not that many in the Premier League,” he said.
According to him, while he searches for the best striker to bring in the summer, he also plans to love and improve the strikers he currently has at his disposal, because he does not intend to rubbish his current players to get new ones.
The Spaniard revealed that it is too easy for managers to tear their own squad apart, especially after painful losses, but he does not intend to handle his situation like that.
“I will try to improve but certainly improve the ones that we have right now and love the ones that we have right now.
Especially after losing it’s too easy to just go and look elsewhere and don’t use the moment to judge players especially.
Because, I was asked a lot of questions about certain players in this room, always in certain moments. But when other players have outperformed other players that we were discussing, I have zero questions in the last 11 months.
It’s all relative to the context, to the moment and the narrative that you want to generate. I understand that,” Arteta said.
Mikel then added that Liverpool will deserve the guard of honour they’ll be getting from Arsenal players tomorrow because they clearly won the EPL on merit.
Admitting that Arsenal regressed as a team this season, Arteta confessed that the team definitely took steps backwards this season, and that is quite obvious.
“In the Premier League we’ve gone a step backwards. With the points that we have created it’s clear that we haven’t done as good as last season, that’s obvious.
They deserve that [a guard of honour]. They’ve been the best team, they’ve been the most consistent, what Arne [Slot] and the coaching staff have done has been fascinating, it’s been really good and they fully deserve it. And that’s the sport, when somebody is better you have to applaud and accept and try to reach that level.
Something has to drive you, motivate you, and pain probably is a good one to use sometimes when you don’t really want to do something but it’s the right thing to do, usually as a motivation for next season,” he added.
