Emmanuel Petit "completely agrees" that Mikel Arteta needs a host of new players before Arsenal can begin challenging.
The Gunners have enjoyed a renaissance this term having finished eighth last year. The club invested in youth and are in the race for the final Champions League spot. Successive defeats have derailed their push for the top four and they are now chasing neighbours Tottenham.
Arteta and the club's hierarchy prioritised youth in last summer's transfer market, adding the likes of Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard permanently. Leading figures like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been allowed to leave as the club continue their squad overhaul, but their Spanish coach insists plenty of new faces are still needed.
Petit has hailed the work performed by the rookie coach whilst insisting he still has plenty left to address at the Emirates with new players a must. He told bookmakers.co.uk: “Since Mikel Arteta arrived at Arsenal, he's been steady. He still has a lot to do, but he has done a lot of good things already. He has found his first XI and now the players appear to be a happy group.
“They seem to understand the way Arteta is asking them to play, but after the Crystal Palace game I believe he said he wants seven new signings for next season, and I completely agree with him. Arsenal are doing everything they are capable of at the moment. With this team Arteta has some quality, but not enough to compete with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. But he cannot perform miracles either.”
Arsenal were linked with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Alexander Isak in January as they sought some more firepower. Neither target was captured but the Gunners are likely to push for a new forward in the summer with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah both out of contract.
Will Arsenal finish in the top four? Let us know in the comments
Youngsters like Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have become leading lights for Arsenal as they search for consistency. Losses at the hands of Crystal Palace and then Brighton have handed the Champions League initiative to Tottenham. The Gunners lost their opening three games of the season but have soared up the table since then.
However they have a challenging run in with clashes to come against the majority of teams who sit in and around them. Petit though is confident Arsenal can rise to the occasion given their performances against the top sides thus far.
“I still believe Arsenal can reach the top four come the end of the season,” he added. “They have the chance to play Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham and Tottenham before the end. Arsenal's best games this season have come against the top teams in the Premier League, so they can do it! But, they have lost Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey and they don't have a big squad in terms of quality to pick from. When you look at the bench after those players there is not an awful lot of options."
