Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal’s rivals that he plans to build the Premier League champions into the “best club in the world”.
Arteta’s side start their bid for a second successive English title against promoted Coventry in the opening game of the top-flight season on Friday.
For the first time in 22 years, the Gunners will begin a campaign as the Premier League’s preeminent force, a status Arteta is determined to maintain as he targets an Arsenal dynasty.
With Manchester City’s golden era potentially at an end after Pep Guardiola resigned at the end of last season, the stage is set for Arsenal to enjoy their own sustained period of success.
Guardiola won six Premier League titles and Arteta, who worked under the Spaniard at City before taking charge of Arsenal in 2019, has no qualms about challenging his players to emulate that dominant run.
“It’s certainly the ambition of the club and the owners to be the best club in the world,” he told Sky Sports this week.
“In order to do that, you need the best facilities, the best stadium, the best supporters, and you need the best squad and the best players in the world.
“That’s what we try to build with the actual players that we have, and with the players that we want to sign to make the difference for Arsenal.”
Arsenal haven’t won consecutive English titles since the 1930s, a feat that proved beyond even Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’, who were the club’s last champions before Arteta’s men ended the drought.
Arteta is using that goal as a rallying cry for his team, with the pain of their Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties last season adding further fuel to the Spaniard’s motivational fire.
“It’s very difficult. You have to raise the level from every angle,” he said.
“When I look into the eyes of my players, I see that fire, that desire and the will to be better every single day.”
Winning the Champions League for the first time remains a burning desire for Arteta’s men, but their manager’s primary ambition is domestic supremacy.
Arsenal, installed as the bookmakers’ favourite for the title, showed their hunger for silverware has not been sated by dispatching Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield on Sunday.
– ‘We want more’ –
Bolstered by the arrival of Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle and Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, Arsenal looked more formidable than ever as they tore City to shreds.
Ominously for their rivals, Arteta isn’t finished spending yet. The club are on the verge of tying up a deal for Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa and have also been linked with Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.
Coventry manager Frank Lampard could be forgiven for having a sleepless night or two as he ponders how to subdue Arsenal in his club’s first game in the top tier for 25 years.
It is a conundrum that may well torment managers with far greater resources than Lampard this season.
City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea all have major questions to answer before they can establish themselves as genuine contenders for Arsenal’s crown.
Enzo Maresca has replaced Guardiola at City, while former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola succeeds the sacked Arne Slot at Liverpool and Xabi Alonso takes charge of under-achieving Chelsea.
City finished seven points behind Arsenal last term and already seem further adrift on the evidence of their Community Shield debacle.
Liverpool, who came fifth last season, and Chelsea, who ended 10th, hope for much improved campaigns, but are far from the finished article.
The same is true of United, who climbed to third under Michael Carrick last season but have taken a surprisingly low-key approach in the transfer market.
As captain Martin Odegaard says, Arsenal have the destiny of the title in their hands.
“This year we want more. We want to do it again in the league and then there are the other trophies,” he said.
AFP
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