Mikel Arteta has claimed that his target is to take the club to the next level, and that getting Arsenal back into the Champions League will be a big part of that.
The Gunners are currently on course to return to the CL for the first time since the 2016-17 season, when we reached the round of 16 only to be eliminated by Bayern Munich, but we have since gone through a rebuilding process.
It was always going to be difficult to find our feet after enjoying so many years under Arsene Wenger, but we finally look to be on the up again thanks to some amazing work by Edu and Mikel Arteta in recent years, and the latter’s new contract is testament to that.
The Spaniard has just agreed a new deal to extend his stay to 2025, and he told Arsenal Media of his aims for the near future with this side.
“To take the club to the next level and to compete really with the top teams,” Arteta exclaimed. “In order to do that, we have to be playing in the Champions League. We have to be able to evolve the team, improve our players, improve all departments, generate even more connection with our fans, improve the atmosphere at the Emirates, be able to recruit top, top talent and the best people for this club to drive this project to that level.”
The boss has been consistent with his aims and what he wants and expects from the club and his players, and the above is very similar to his previous comments, although his mention of adding ‘top, top talent’ to the side is a new phrase for him. Qualifying for the Champions League could well play a huge role in helping us to bridge the gap on those at the top of the table, whilst helping us to keep ahead of the chasing pack as we look to secure consistent top-four finishes in the coming years, and this summer could well be the most important one of the coming transfer windows.
Does anybody doubt whether Arteta has the credentials to help us take that next step? Do you agree that our summer signings are likely to look rather different depending on whether we qualify for the CL or not?
Patrick