Mikel Arteta Promises ‘Very Exciting’ Arsenal Transfer Plan | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has promised “a very exciting summer” while hinting at the incomings and outgoings which could take place in north London.

The Gunners boss is set to oversee another season without a major trophy after getting dumped out of the Champions League semifinals by Paris Saint-Germain and missing out on Premier League glory to Liverpool.

Injuries have crippled a squad which Arteta has freely described as “thin”, leaving Arsenal without a recognised centre-forward for most of the campaign’s conclusion. Arteta acknowledged the “need” for more recruits in what he billed as “a very exciting summer”.

“With the numbers that we started the season and [the numbers] to provide for next season, with the demands we’re going to have and especially with the players that we have who are coming through long-term surgeries, it’s very unrealistic [to deliver trophies],” Arteta told Sky Sports this week.

“We know that, we have to address that and we’re going to do everything we can to improve it. Especially because we are going to lose quite a lot of players. There are players out of contract, there are players who have come here on loan.”

The midfield pairing of Thomas Partey and Jorginho are both entering the final months of their Arsenal contracts. While the future of the Ghana international remains unclear, reports claim that Jorginho has already agreed a summer move to Brazilian outfit Flamengo.

“So the squad becomes really thin on top of the injuries that we have,” Arteta continued. “We know we have that duty, that necessity and we have players in the academy that can help. Great, but if not we know what we have to do.”

When specifically pushed on the club’s search for a new striker—a problem position over recent years—Arteta conceded: “Everything that is in both boxes that makes you better, I think—at the end of the day—it’s a key element. We all know that.”

The Gunners have been linked with numerous forward options. Brighton & Hove Albion’s João Pedro was recently floated as a potential candidate, while Sporting CP talisman Viktor Gyökeres is thought to be a leading target.

Arteta also pointed to the appointment of sporting director Andrea Berta as a key factor to help take the club “to the next level”. “You can tell,” Arteta explained, “the experience he has, he’s built great squads and the major trophies he’s won. Someone with that clarity is very, very helpful.”