Arsenal looked really good, in the very first match of the Premier League season, handling Crystal Palace on Friday night. Manager Mikel Arteta knows that the Gunners still cannot stand pat though, as he reiterated his ambition to sign a few more players before the transfer window closes deadline on Sept 1.
“We are going to try [for more signings],” Arteta said in a post match media opportunity following the decisive London derby win.
“There are a few things that we planned. If we can do them, it will be great. For now, we will work with the players we have. We are in the middle of the season already.”
The Emirates club has gotten a lot done already this summer transfer window, splashing the cash Manchester City’s way- sending them £75m for the pair of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Both the Brazilin striker and the Ukrainian left back impressed against Palace in their debuts. Arteta knows a thing or two about what Man City have had on their roster in recent years, as his previous gig before Arsenal was an assistant with the club.
The north London club has also spent £30m on Fabio Vieira, $3.85m on Marquinhos (from Sap Paulo, not the PSG guy) and $7 million on Matt Turner.
The latter, a USMNT goalkeeper, was signed in the winter and then completed his transfer over from the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer this summer.
Turner showed he is an Arsenal man even before he arrived, as he snubbed a Tottenham fan’s autograph request after a MLS match.
Arteta said something similar to what he said this weekend back at the end of July. He then stated his desire for the the club to get more transfers over the line between now and deadline day, if/when the market conditions would facilitate it.
Arteta and Arsenal will next host Leicester City, on Saturday, in a Premier League fixture.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.