When Mikel Arteta moved his office at Arsenal’s training ground two seasons ago, he made sure he could see the club’s olive tree from his window.
Arteta views the tree as a symbol of the club, with the fruit only able to flourish if the roots are nurtured. He likes what the plant represents so much that he has a replica of it on his desk.
Three and a half years into his time as Arsenal manager, Arteta believes he has planted his own seeds for success and now wants to take the club to what he describes as “the next level”.
When interviewing for the job in 2019, Arteta presented owners, the Kroenkes, with a five-stage plan to bring the glory days back to Arsenal.
In March, he revealed they are in “phase three — and a little bit ahead of schedule” and, although the manager keeps details of the coming targets close to his chest, Arsenal’s eye-catching recruitment this summer suggests ‘phase four’ is on the horizon. The next step in their evolution is developing from title chasers to winners.
Arsenal are closing in on a £65million move to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea, are plotting a move worth around £100m for West Ham’s Declan Rice and are in talks over a deal for £50m-rated Ajax defender Jurrien Timber. Excluding sales, splashing more than £200m would represent a club-record spend by Arsenal in a single transfer window and underlines their ambition to topple Manchester City.
Arteta has described this summer as “crucial” as Arsenal bid to build on the success of last season and bridge the gap to Pep Guardiola’s formidable Treble winners. Arsenal are working to get their main transfer business done before their pre-season tour to America in about a month’s time.
They feel early signings helped them get off to a fast start last season and they want to hit the ground running when they kick off the new campaign, at home against Nottingham Forest on August 12.
Arsenal want to upgrade in some positions and add more depth in others. Arteta rotated less than any other Premier League manager last season and, with Arsenal back in the Champions League, he wants a core group of 17 or 18 players he can trust.
Expectations have been raised, with Arteta, sporting director Edu and the Kroenkes all aligned in their desire for Arsenal to be prepared to compete on multiple fronts. Arteta and Edu devised a transfer plan approved by the Kroenkes at the start of the summer.
They are targeting versatile players who will add quality and depth, but also tactical flexibility. That strategy will give Arteta more options in the way he sets up the team. An inability to do that last season was a factor in why Arsenal fell away in the title race, and why City were able to go on a charge when it really mattered.
City were eight points behind Arsenal as late as the start of April, but Guardiola had the tools to switch to the 3-2-4-1 formation that helped them win the League, FA Cup and Champions League. Arsenal’s starting XI picked itself last season, which was a strength in the first half of the campaign but became a weakness towards the end. Opposition teams knew how to set up against them and some key players looked to have run out of steam during the run-in.
The players Arsenal are targeting this summer can change that. Rice can operate at the base of midfield or further forward as a No8, and can even play at centre-back if required.
Timber would likely be used as a right-back, tucking into midfield like Oleksandr Zinchenko did with so much success from the other flank. Arsenal suffered when Zinchenko was out injured, because Kieran Tierney was unable to replicate his role. There is a belief that Timber can provide that balance when Zinchenko is absent, but he can also play at centre-back.
Arsenal are targeting versatile players who will add quality and depth, but also tactical flexibility
Havertz, though, is perhaps the most versatile of all of the prospective new signings. He can play anywhere across the front-three or as a No10, and could even play as one of two No8s. He would offer Arteta something different, either from the start or off the bench.
Rice is one of the fittest players in the Premier League and Arsenal believe his ability to get up and down the pitch with such ease means he can have an influence in both boxes. At 6ft 2ins, his mobility and ability to play is matched by his physical stature. He can scrap if he needs to and his muscle will provide a platform for creative players like Martin Odegaard and Havertz.
Arsenal were overpowered by City in their bruising 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium in April, with Rodri controlling the game from midfield. Even with Thomas Partey in the team, Arsenal need to add physical power to their midfield, and Rice is all-action. He is also capable of speeding the game up as well as slowing it down, which will be crucial in the Champions League.
Arteta and Edu’s recruitment has worked well in recent summers and they are sticking to their model. Like Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko, Havertz, 24, Rice, 24, and Timber, 22, are all players coming into their prime.
Crucially, though, they also have experience of playing big games for both club and country. New arrivals will inevitably lead to departures, and Arsenal are showing they can be ruthless.
Midfielders Granit Xhaka and Partey were excellent last season, but aged 30 they could both be moved on for fresh blood. Fan favourite Tierney is another who could be sold.
Their exits will leave a leadership void, especially with Xhaka going, but Rice and Timber have both been lauded at West Ham and Ajax for their qualities in that area.
They suit the culture at Arsenal, which Arteta warned in his very first press conference had to be right or else “the tree will shake”. The roots have now been planted. Now Arteta hopes it is time for the next phase of his project to flourish.
