Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was worried about not having enough funds in the off-season to strengthen his team.
The former Gunners captain, who took over as team manager earlier this season after the layoff of Unai Emery, said he would need investments if the club competes for the titles.
“You need it to build a team. It’s not magical,” Arteta told Sky Sports after Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool. “You have to improve with quality and quality players on the team and you need bigger teams to compete in this competition. There is the challenge.”
Arteta has Arsenal up for silverware this season as they face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday, but stressed that there is an abyss between the London team and the likes of City and Liverpool, despite victory on Wednesday.
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“The gap between the two teams [Arsenal and Liverpool] today is huge, “he added.” We can’t improve it in two months, but the responsibility, the fight is now the same and I’m very proud of it. The rest will take some time. “
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta further explained what it will take for Arsenal to try and win their first championship title from the “Invincibles” season of 2003-04.
“We are in a process, we don’t know at the moment,” he said. “There is a lot of uncertainty in many areas, what we can control now is who we want to be as a team, the culture we are building to do it, the spirit to be successful and therefore improve our players.
“My main goal is to improve our players, make them feel more comfortable and create an identity for the club because it will be easier to say that we need this, this and this.”
Among the players that Arteta wanted to sign are Danilo Pereira, FC Porto veteran, according to sources from James Olley of ESPN. The club has already signed defender William Saliba from the French team Saint-Etienne. David Luiz signed a one-year extension earlier this month, while Dani Ceballos extended his contract to the Emirates until the end of the season. Other players who join on a permanent basis are Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari.
But with a limited budget due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the prospect of a fourth season without Champions League football, it may limit options.
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