Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his staff want there to be competition for places at the club this season.
That is according to Dean Jones, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the latest at the Emirates Stadium, heading into the final few weeks of the transfer window.
The Gunners have signed five players this summer, including the transfers of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, whilst Fábio Vieira has arrived from FC Porto.
Both Jesus and Zinchenko impressed in Arsenal’s opening 2-0 Premier League victory at Crystal Palace this Friday, with the club aiming for a top-four finish this season.
And Jones believes that Arteta and his staff – including technical director Edu – will be looking for competition at the club so that the squad have to perform at their best in every game this season.
Speaking prior to the Gunners’ clash against Leicester this weekend, he said: “There were doubts whether they could live up to expectations on that first day, a tricky first match against Crystal Palace, and there were tough spells in that game, but they got through them, they got a really good result.
“Arteta and the Arsenal staff, and Edu, are really, really motivated to make sure that there is enough competition for places, that these players are forced to play at their absolute ultimate level every week.”
TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments…
We believe that Arsenal fans will be delighted with this update, suggesting that Arteta and Edu are demanding success at the Emirates this season.
We think that these comments could also imply that the Gunners are still looking to add to their squad ahead of September’s transfer deadline.
Therefore, we believe that after their positive start to the season, Arsenal fans can perhaps look ahead to a positive future.