Arsenal Players “Want More” This Season- Arteta

By: Gyang Dakwo

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says that his players “want more” ahead of the new Premier League season.

The Gunners have now twice fallen short in title chases with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and they have been active in the market as they attempt to improve upon last year’s showing.

Riccardo Calafiori arrived from Bologna to strengthen the back line, while the club are widely expected to sign Mikel Merino, with a striker also reportedly on the wish-list for the Spaniard.

Recounting an evening spent with the players and director Josh Kroenke on the night before the last game of the 2023/24 season, Arteta said his troops were keen to kick on.

“All the players were saying to me, ‘We’re going to be better, we’re going to do it, we want more,'” the coach revealed at a press conference.

“They are the ones driving that ambition, so that’s always positive.”

For Arsenal, the new season begins on Saturday (today), at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Arteta insists the whole group are enthused about the coming campaign.

“We are really excited,” he stated. “We’ve been missing the competition for many weeks, too long for us. We’re so willing to start, really enthusiastic about it.

“We had a really challenging pre-season. The team has looked really sharp, really at it and desperate to play.”

Arteta backed his team to improve, and he thinks there are significant steps forward to take.