By Mikel Arteta's own admission, this summer promises to be "crucial" for Arsenal. The Gunners ran Manchester City close for the Premier League title before ultimately falling at the final hurdle. Now though they face the challenge of needing to bridge that gap while also playing Champions League football - a prospect that Arteta admits his side are not yet ready for.
"At the level that we want no," the Spaniard told football.london when asked if he felt his side had enough to compete in both the Premier League and Champions League next season as things stand. "We didn’t have the capacity to do that as well with the Europa League so it’s part of that evolution. We have made a lot of good steps and strong steps in that journey and we have to continue. That never ends. We want to be better and the rest will be better, then the margins will be higher and we have to start to live with those standards and improve and be smarter."
That means it's going to be a busy summer for Edu. Arsenal are targeting several incomings, while getting players out of the club is going to be crucial too. But what about those already in north London that Arteta will want to build his side around? Here football.london takes a look at the players who will have crucial roles at the Emirates Stadium going into next season.
