As Arsenal continue to lead the way at the top of the Premier League table, some have argued that their success is simply the product of good luck. Detractors say that the Gunners have been fortunate with injuries - the four-month absence of Gabriel Jesus notwithstanding - while last-gasp wins against Aston Villa and Bournemouth have only served to fuel this fire.
The argument has now extended into their business in the transfer window. It's no secret that Arsenal wanted Mykhailo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo last month, but ended up with Leandro Trossard and Jorginho instead. While their initial targets have gone on to slightly underwhelm since January, the signings Arsenal actually made have already made significant contributions to their title push.
But having transformed Mikel Arteta's squad from failing to qualify for Europe to title contenders in the space of four windows, the Gunners' transfer hot streak cannot just simply be cast aside as good fortune. While other Premier League sides have indulged in the madness of the transfer market, Arsenal have a clear method.
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"I always make myself comfortable going into the transfer window when we’ve prepared how to face those challenges," Arsenal sporting director Edu tells football.london at the London Football Awards when asked about the work his club have done in the transfer market. "In the Premier League there’s a lot of clubs and a lot of good managers so the competition is hard. So as soon as you prepare well, you feel comfortable.
"So we went into the winter period really, really well prepared and then we started to make some quick and important decisions. So far it’s helping the team and the team’s performing well so that’s good.
"I think we’re in the right place in terms of playing well. Of course, the performance of the team and the way we’re playing is special. I see around us everybody wants to follow us, everybody wants to watch us. I receive a lot of messages from Brazil and South America and different places which is very nice to receive.
"We are very excited with where we are at the moment, but we have to understand there’s still a journey to go, still things to do. Of course we’re happy to be in the moment we are now, but we have to understand there’s still things to go to keep going."
Although Arsenal are pushing for a first title in nearly 20 years, it's clear that their project is far from over. The summer promises exciting acquisitions as the Gunners seek to create a squad capable of challenging in both the Premier League and Champions League with West Ham's Declan Rice understood to be among the top targets. With this in mind Edu admits he has already started to lay the groundwork.
"It’s already started because you know what’s happening in the market everybody is doing stuff," the Brazilian said of Arsenal's preparation for the summer. "You have to plan with people as well just to be prepared so when you go again in the summer you are very prepared."
For now though the primary ambition is winning a first Premier League since 2004. Arsenal sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League, but like Arteta, Edu is keen to insist that no one is getting carried away with 11 matches still to come.
"Every day we train, prepare in the best way possible and think in the best way possible," he says. "Don’t think about anything, just the next game, how we can improve ourselves, how we can be better individually and as a squad as well.
"Then come the end of the season we’ll see where we’re going to be. So our intention is really to live week by week, game by game, enjoy the games and try to be the best version possible for the season."
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