Mikel Arteta has admitted he is concerned that he may not be provided with the necessary finances to improve the Arsenal squad in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners secured a morale-boosting victory in the Premier League against Liverpool, returning to winning ways ahead of the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City.
However, there is still plenty of work to be done to improve the squad in order for them to be competitive after slipping out of the battle for Champions League football in recent seasons.
While fans may be hopeful of marquee additions this summer, having already seen rivals Chelsea spend heavily and other clubs linked with big names, Arteta has made a stark admission.
"I don't know, it's a big concern," he told Sky Sports when asked if he would be handed funds to spend in the upcoming summer transfer window.
"You need it to build a squad. It’s not magic. You need to improve with quality, quality players in the squad and you need bigger squads to compete in this competition. There’s the challenge.”
While Arsenal were victors on the night against Liverpool, the Reds dominated proceedings and Arteta was all too aware of the differences between the two sides.
"You only need to look at the difference between the two teams today. The gap is enormous. But the gap in many areas, we can’t improve it in two months, but the gap between the accountability, the energy, the commitment and the fight between the two teams is now equal.
"Before, it wasn’t at this, and I’m proud of that. The rest will come in time. My message to the players is with that, we can create something."
