Mikel Arteta admitted he is walking around with a huge smile on his face after assembling what he now believes is the best squad of his Arsenal reign.
Eberechi Eze’s imminent £60million arrival from Crystal Palace will take Arsenal’s spending spree to £250m amid a summer of transformation at the Emirates.
Eze, who it is understood underwent a medical at Arsenal on Friday, is set to become the club’s seventh new arrival with competition for places now fierce across the pitch.
And when asked if he is now armed with the most complete squad of his near seven-year tenure, Arteta replied: “In terms of numbers and quality, yes for sure.
“When you shake the tree and bring in more players there are always things that can happen.
“The spirit of that is to be more competitive, to be better and learn from the past, and with the squad we had last year we made life very, very difficult for ourselves if you look at the size and depth of other squads and the resources they had.
“So, we all have big smiles on our faces with the understanding that we have done really well, but the market is not closed and we have to stay very alert because there are a lot of things that can happen still. But so far, so good.”
Eze is now poised to follow striker Viktor Gyokeres (£55m), defender Cristhian Mosquera (£13m), midfielder Martin Zubimendi (£60m), goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5m), midfielder Christian Norgaard (£10m) and forward Noni Madueke (£48.5m) in making the switch to the Emirates.
It is a clear statement of intent from Arsenal as they bid to win the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. Arteta is also looking to end his trophy drought which stretches back to the 2020 FA Cup.
“We are showing the ambition that we are here to win major trophies and to keep evolving and improving every single year and that comes with demands and those demands are clear,” added Arteta.
“We want to be in front in the league, not just chasing or reacting or being behind, but in front of it and every decision that we make in every area of the club is to achieve that.”
Arsenal’s move to sign Eze accelerated following a knee injury sustained by Kai Havertz.
Speaking on the eve of his side’s clash against Leeds at the Emirates, Arteta added: “He (Havertz) is certainly not fit for this match. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury and we don’t really know yet the extent of it.
“We need a bit more time and some more tests and after that we’ll have more clarity. Mentally he’s in a good place.
“He’s a really strong boy and very committed. He had an incredible recovery from the hamstring surgery. He’s suffered a setback.
“Let’s see how bad it is but I’m sure he’s going to deal in the best possible way. He has the joy of a kid and hopefully we’re going to have him back soon.”
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