Mikel Arteta must make reinforcements to his squad ahead of 2021-22 in order to raise the standards at the Emirates, suggests an ex-Gooner.
Arsenal need to sign “at least five players with both talent and character” this summer, insists Emmanuel Petit.
2020-21 was a season to forget for Arsenal. The club had the worst start to a Premier League season in over four decades and ultimately finished down at eighth in the standings.
FA Cup and EFL Cup campaigns didn’t play out much better either, with the London side crashing out at Round 4 and quarter-finals of the competitions respectively.
The Gunners made a deep run into the Europa League but were sent packing by Villareal – a team managed by their former boss Unai Emery.
“If Arsenal want to be competitive again, they need at least five players with both talent and character,” Petit stated in an interview with Metro.
“The first thing they need is a proper goalscorer. They need wingers too.
‘When you look at young players like Mason Mount and Jack Grealish, they’re fantastic because, apart from their quality, they show character and desire, they want to prove they are one of the best players in their position.
“This is exactly what I want to see at Arsenal, and I see that in [Bukayo] Saka, and sometimes in [Emile] Smith Rowe.
“But what I want from Arsenal in the transfer market is quality and, more importantly, leadership and personality.
“We want character at Arsenal, players who hate to lose, players who scream in the dressing room when they lose, players who are ready to fight with team-mates when they lose. This is exactly what is missing at Arsenal.”
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