Mikel Arteta sets sights on squad overhaul to ensure Arsenal keep pace with Premier League big guns

ByEurosport

Published 09/05/2021 at 08:44 GMT

The Gunners are sat in 10th in the Premier League table and trail leaders Manchester City by 31 points. It has been a worrying trend for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta feels the time has come to make changes to his playing squad in a bid to make ground on the sides above them who are threatening to pull away.

Mikel Arteta is planning an overhaul of his squad at Arsenal.

The Gunners have had an abject season, and look set to miss out on any form of European football next term after crashing out of the Europa League to Villarreal in the semi-finals and failing to mount any challenge on the domestic front.

With fans still sore from the club’s decision to join the failed European Super League, Arsenal have lots to fix both on and off the field.

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On-field issues are manager Arteta’s priority, and the Spaniard claims he has the backing of the owners to revamp his squad.

"The squad needs changing," Arteta said ahead of the meeting with West Brom on Sunday. "There were already a lot of changes in December, something that has not been done in years, but it tells us where we were.

Things are going to have to change and the owners are going to back it up."

Arteta put some credit in the bank when guiding Arsenal to FA Cup final glory last season, but they sit in 10th in the Premier League and unrest is growing.

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The coach says building blocks are being put in place, but they have to take forward steps or the gap to the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea will become too great to bridge.

"We know what has been going on inside here for the last 18 months,” Arteta said. “We know. We only know, the ones that are here. How we have built that is incredible.

"Time is catching up right now. It's a trend, it's years now that this has been happening.

“If the distance and the margins with the rest become too big, then it's almost impossible to do it.”

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