Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta sent a very clear message to owner Stan Kroenke on Wednesday night, reiterating that he will need “more resources” and “more players” to deal with the demands of the second half of the season.
The Gunners find themselves top of the Premier League and through to the last 16 of the Europa League, boosting their aspirations of returning to the Champions League stage after a five-year absence.
However, as Arteta and his side found out last season, things can change very quickly if you are under-equipped to get the job done. Heading into the north London derby, Arsenal were just one win away from securing a top-four finish, but a lack of quality and depth led to a drop in form at the worst possible moment.
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It was an unfortunate turn of events which Arteta says he, his players and the club have learned a lot from, becoming better as a consequence. The success so far this season certainly proves that, but there will also be hope that similar mistakes are not made in January.
Despite offloading star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang along with squad players such as Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Calum Chambers, the club decided against signing replacements. Meanwhile, top-four rivals Spurs took the opposite approach and strengthened their squad, which many believe played a huge part in the outcome of the 2021/22 campaign.
Looking back to this summer, it’s slightly more understandable why Arsenal took the approach they did, with the additions of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira undoubtedly raising the quality of the side whilst also adding further depth.
Nevertheless, with the Gunners now ahead of schedule according to Arteta, there is a real emphasis to push forward and continue to raise the standards. It’s widely reported that talks are already underway to sign exciting Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, who is at the centre of interest from several European clubs. The latest reports claim that Shakhtar have already identified a replacement for the 21-year-old.
“We are going to be playing every three days,” Arteta told Jamie Carragher during a special Monday Night Football episode on Sky Sports. “The congestion and the amount of games we have to play is going to be incredible. We are going to have to have more resources and more players to be able to do that.”
Arteta, sporting director Edu and the Kroenke’s will have already planned out transfer ambitions for January and beyond, but the Spaniard’s public plea for more additions could well turn out to be a clever ploy to ensure the hierarchy doesn’t let him down in what will be a pivotal window for the club.
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