Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club’s difficulties with injuries last season have reinforced the need for a deeper squad as the reigning Premier League champions prepare to open the new campaign at home to newly-promoted Coventry.
Arteta was speaking at a news conference before Friday’s opening match, with Arsenal continuing to work in the transfer market to strengthen their defence. William Saliba is expected to be out for a long period and the manager said the club were “missing a defender”.
“We’ve learned from the past, especially last year when we were in trouble, especially with two or three injuries in the same area of the pitch,” said Arteta.
“So the deeper our squad is, the better. We have to manage that properly, but players also need to feel important and valued, and to do that, they need to get game time.”
Arsenal have been active in the transfer market and Arteta said they were working to reinforce the defensive area, although he could not give a firm indication of when a deal might be completed.
“We’re being very active in the transfer market,” he said. “Our ambition is to improve the squad. And obviously, we have a very specific issue at the back, especially with Saliba being out for a long time, and we are missing a defender, that’s clear. So we are working to reinforce that area, and as soon as it’s ready, we will announce it.”
Arteta added that he remained optimistic, while acknowledging that any potential signing was not entirely within Arsenal’s control.
The Spaniard also spoke about the difficult conversations required when a player’s future at a club is uncertain. He said such discussions must be honest, transparent and respectful, even when the message is difficult to accept.
“When you’re on the other side of that, that’s exactly what you need,” Arteta said. “You might not like what you hear, but if it’s true, if it’s objectively real, if it’s honest, and it can help you make better decisions and make your career clearer for the next step, then you have to do it.”
He said communication had to work in both directions when a player no longer felt important or believed it was time to begin a new chapter elsewhere.
According to Arteta, Arsenal’s responsibility was to handle such situations while preserving respect and appreciation for the players, even though football decisions ultimately had to be made.
He dismissed the idea that the club’s squad plans were settled before the transfer window closes, warning that “anything can happen on the last day”. His priority, he said, was to keep the group as deep as possible because of the demands of a long season.
Arteta said he was more excited and hungry than ever to begin the campaign in front of Arsenal’s home supporters. He challenged his players to show greater desire and ambition than they had last season, a month earlier or in their recent match against Manchester City.
“We need to breathe, and we need to take it as it comes, because it’s going to be another long marathon,” he said. “We have the ability to improve, to evolve, and that’s the atmosphere I feel throughout the club, especially among the players.”
The manager expects a difficult test against Coventry, managed by Frank Lampard, and praised the club’s return to the Premier League after many years away.
He said Coventry had earned promotion in a “very special way”, while describing Lampard’s work as “outstanding”. Arteta added that he had watched many of Coventry’s matches, knew their statistics and had also encountered Lampard during his time managing Chelsea.
“I really like the way they play and the courage they show in every game,” said Arteta. “I’m sure they will show ambition on Friday night, so we are ready because we know what we’re going to face.”
