Mikel Arteta claims Arsenal ‘ready to go to a different level’ after £117m spending spree

Mikel Arteta has claimed that Arsenal are ‘ready to go to a different level’ after a £117.5 million summer spending spree. 

The Gunners splashed £45m to sign Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City while Oleksandr Zinchenko also arrived from the Etihad Stadium in a £30m deal. 

They have now become the biggest spenders in the Premier League this summer so far, with the north London side also adding Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Matt Turner. 

Arsenal finished fifth in the English league last season but Arteta is confident they are now ready to go to a different level this campaign. 

“We are ready to go to a different level, and I am convinced of that,” he said (as per The Guardian). “What the other teams are doing is obvious; others had already a much stronger squad than we had, and they still recruited four or five, or some of them seven players.

“This is not going to get any easier, so we can just focus on what we are trying to do, what we can do, because we cannot do everything at the same time. We are confident that we’re going to be able to do it.”

Top-four finish is likely  

Arsenal made a disastrous start to the 2021-22 season but they put together a series of good performances in the middle to be regarded as top favourites to finish in the top four. 

However, their late collapse meant they ended fifth in the English league behind arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. 

The Gunners have made some brilliant signings this summer and they could finally hope to return to the Champions League for the first time since 2016. 

They were searching for a striker after Alexandre Lacazette returned to Lyon this summer while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona in January. 

Mikel Arteta’s side have now found a perfect attacker in the form of Gabriel Jesus. He is a versatile forward who is known for his pace, dribbling, technical skills and finishing ability. 

Last season, the Brazilian struck eight goals and created eight assists in 28 Premier League appearances, averaging 2.3 shots and 1.4 key passes per game (as per WhoScored). 

Meanwhile, Aleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Matt Turner are also quality additions who can greatly improve the performance of the team. 

Arsenal will likely make a serious challenge for finishing in the top-four this season.