"We are a little bit short" - Mikel Arteta hints at Arsenal signing players before deadline day
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes his squad is slightly lacking in numbers, particularly in the forward positions. He has hinted that the club might engage in the transfer market again if the right profile becomes available.
The Gunners secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, August 24, thanks to second-half goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey. However, they were without Gabriel Jesus, who missed the clash completely due to a groin injury.
The severity of Jesus’ injury is currently unknown, but Arteta suggested they would find out soon. With Eddie Nketiah set to leave the club, this leaves Kai Havertz as Arsenal’s primary striker with no backups available.
After the game, the Spanish coach indicated he is satisfied with the current squad but acknowledged that Arsenal might enter the transfer market if Jesus’ injury proves to be long-term.
“We are really happy with the squad. It’s true we had an injury with Gabriel Jesus and we missed him. We are a little bit short and if we can do something then we will do it. We have to see. Probably [Sunday] or Monday we’ll have the results to see if it’s a matter of days or weeks. We don’t know [how long he’ll be out for]," Arteta said (via GOAL).
Arsenal have signed David Raya on a permanent deal for a fee of up to £27 million, while their only other new addition so far is Ricardo Calafiori, who joined from Bologna for £33.7 million. They are also close to finalizing the signing of Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino, with the transfer nearly complete, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Mikel Arteta satisfied with Arsenal’s performance against Aston Villa
Arsenal have started their Premier League campaign with consecutive victories. Aston Villa have been a difficult opponent for Arsenal in recent times, but they managed to secure all three points this time around.
The game was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggested, with the Gunners struggling to find their rhythm. Villa had several opportunities to take control of the match, but Arsenal remained solid defensively before substitute Trossard made an immediate impact, scoring the opener in the 67th minute.
After that, Arteta’s men took control of the game, with Partey adding a second goal from just outside the box 10 minutes later. In the end, Arsenal sealed all three points, and Arteta expressed his satisfaction with the team’s overall organization on the night.
Well, very happy, first of all. A really tough place to come, great atmosphere of football. A really good team, really well coached, with great collective organization and huge individual threat, but we found a way to win, especially because the team, I think, played with a lot of personality and understood the game better and better as the game was going, apart from those 10, 12 minutes in the second hal," Arteta said (via Arsenal's official website).
Arsenal’s next challenge is against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 31, who also arrive on the back of two victories, having defeated Everton and Manchester United.