logo
Arsenal manager Arteta pleased with early transfer business

Arsenal manager Arteta pleased with early transfer business

TimesLIVE2 days ago
Mikel Arteta said he was happy that Arsenal had signed a number of top-quality players in the early stages of the transfer window, and that they had given the Premier League club impetus to raise their level in the coming season.
Runners-up for the last three seasons, Arsenal have signed winger Noni Madueke and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea, plus midfielders Christian Norgaard from Brentford and Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
'They bring new excitement, a new energy as well,' Arteta said in Singapore on Monday ahead of a preseason match against Serie A side AC Milan.
'We signed important players as well. Everybody feels like their height has to go to a different level and that's what we're seeking.
'Ideally, you want it [transfers] done on day one in preseason. We've done very, very well so far. I'm very pleased with the way the club is supporting the necessities and improvements we required in the team.'
Mr. Mikel Arteta wasn't lying huh 😶
pic.twitter.com/5qCSyNyKks
— Sucheet Boppana (@BoppanaSucheet) July 15, 2025
Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres, who scored 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting last season, is also expected to move to Emirates Stadium.
'There's still a long time in the window and we are seeking. In terms of numbers, we are short, and we have to improve the depth and the quality of the squad,' Arteta said.
'We are constantly looking in the market, but until that happens, I can focus on the players we have, work with them and I'm very pleased with what I've seen so far in the first 10 to 15 days.'
Arteta briefly spoke about former player Thomas Partey, who was charged with rape and sexual assault this month, after leaving the club at the end of last season.
'I think the club was very clear in its statement. There are a lot of legal matters that are very complicated so I cannot comment on any of that.
Mikel Arteta has claimed Arsenal "100 per cent" followed the right processes over Thomas Partey after the midfielder was charged over multiple counts of rape and sexual assault earlier this month. pic.twitter.com/DUImXPCex4
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 21, 2025
Asked if he felt like the club had followed the right processes in dealing with the issue, he replied: '100%, yes.'
Arsenal have let Premier League titles slip through their grasp in the last couple of years but this season will be different, defender Gabriel Magalhaes said.
'I think the players that came will help us out a lot. The club is doing what is best for the players and the manager,' Gabriel told the BBC in an interview published on Sunday.
'We want to have the best players. To be in the dispute for titles, you have to have the best players.
'We have let a couple of titles slip through our fingers recently. We almost won but I think this year things will be different.'
Arsenal begin their 2025-26 Premier League campaign on August 17 with a trip to Manchester United.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Liverpool sign forward Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt
Liverpool sign forward Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt

The Citizen

time7 hours ago

  • The Citizen

Liverpool sign forward Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt

The deal taking the France Under-21 international to Anfield is set to push Liverpool's spending past £250m this summer. Liverpool completed the signing of striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday for a reported £69 million ($92 million) as the Premier League champions continued their summer spending spree. 'The 23-year-old has successfully completed a medical and agreed personal terms with the Reds, allowing him to fly out to Hong Kong to join his new teammates on their pre-season tour of Asia later this week,' Liverpool said in a statement. ALSO READ: Liverpool eye blockbuster bid for Newcastle's Isak: reports The deal taking the France Under-21 international to Anfield is set to push Liverpool's spending past £250m this summer. Liverpool switched their focus to Ekitike following Newcastle's refusal to sell Sweden striker Alexander Isak, who is valued at around £150 million by the Magpies. Newcastle and Manchester United were also interested in Ekitike, but Liverpool have won the race for one of Europe's hottest young stars. It is believed the Reds have agreed to pay a potential further £10 million in add-ons to sign Ekitike, whose overall price tag could reach £79 million. Ekitike scored 22 goals in 48 games in all competitions for Frankfurt last season after joining the Bundesliga club from Paris Saint-Germain. He was named in the Bundesliga team of the season as Frankfurt finished third in Germany last term. Liverpool have an opening in their forward line after Diogo Jota's recent death in a car crash in Spain. The Reds are also believed to be willing to sell Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, while Colombia forward Luis Diaz has been the target of a rejected bid from Bayern Munich. Liverpool have already splashed out £116 million on Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, as well as signing defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth respectively. Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has also linked up with Arne Slot's side since the end of last season after agreeing his move from Valencia in 2024. Ekitike began his career with his hometown club Reims and had a brief loan spell in Denmark in 2021 before earning a move to PSG the following year. He struggled to make an impact in his first season in Paris alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, but claimed a Ligue 1 winner's medal. ALSO READ: Mbeumo thrilled to follow in Ronaldo's footsteps at 'biggest club in the world' Man United His opportunities were again limited at the start of the 2023-24 campaign before he joined Frankfurt on loan. 'Hugo has improved tremendously in his 18 months with us and has been a real asset to our team and the club as a whole on and off the pitch,' said Eintracht sporting director Markus Krosche. 'We're delighted he can now take the next step – a step he has earned through his performances with us.'

Arsenal off to winning pre-season start against AC Milan in Singapore
Arsenal off to winning pre-season start against AC Milan in Singapore

IOL News

time9 hours ago

  • IOL News

Arsenal off to winning pre-season start against AC Milan in Singapore

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (L) and AC Milan's Davide Bartesaghi fight for the ball during the Singapore Festival of Football pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and AC Milan at the National Stadium in Singapore on July 23, 2025. Picture: Roslan Rahman/AFP Arsenal kicked off their pre-season campaign with a 1–0 win over Italian giants AC Milan at the National Stadium in Singapore on Wednesday. Manager Mikel Arteta started the match with several regulars, including Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Ben White. Christian Norgaard, a new signing from Brentford, made his first appearance for the Gunners, while fellow arrivals Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi started on the bench. In front of more than 22,800 fans, Arsenal, who finished runner-up in the last three consecutive seasons in the English Premier League, looked the more lively of the two sides in the first half, dominating possession but failing to convert their chances.

There is method to Liverpool's £300m Premier League spending spree madness
There is method to Liverpool's £300m Premier League spending spree madness

IOL News

time10 hours ago

  • IOL News

There is method to Liverpool's £300m Premier League spending spree madness

Florian Wirtz signs for Liverpool, the most expensive signing in Premier League History at a record-breaking £116m. Picture: AFP Image: AFP Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was well-documented during his time at Anfield about his resistance to spending large sums of money on transfer fees. Klopp was famously quoted as saying: 'If you bring one player in for $100 million or whatever and he gets injured then it all goes through the chimney." 'The day that this is football, I'm not in a job anymore.' Klopp, of course, is no longer in the hot seat at the Reds, but even he's needed to change his tune as the Premier League champions have blown away their competitors during the current transfer window with a host of big-money signings, most notably Florian Wirtz. The German international cost Liverpool an initial £100 million, topped up by a further £16 million in potential add-ons, which makes Wirtz's total package not only the most expensive player in Liverpool history, but the Premier League's priciest ever player too. 'I know that I once said that I'm out if we pay £100 million for a player. But the world is changing. That's just the way the market is. There's no question about it, it's an insane sum.' Wirtz's capture is, though, only the headline-grabber in Liverpool's almost £300m spending spree that is the envy of their Premier League rivals at the moment. The imminent arrival of Hugo Ekitiké from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79m is further testament to the Fenway Sports Group's, Liverpool's Boston-based owner, ambitions to ensure last season's Premiership triumph is not a mere once-off, and is in fact the springboard to sustained success that Manchester City had achieved with their four successive titles in the preceding years. Liverpool's buying power has, of course, got tongues wagging on the social media channels with rival clubs' fans accusing the Reds of abandoning their club's traditions of buying smartly and building a cohesive unit into a championship-winning team. Nothing could be further from the truth as the rejuvenation of the squad under Arne Slot is fundamentally how Liverpool have always done business: self-sustainable. Even under Klopp, Liverpool brought the likes of Alisson (£66.8 million) and Virgil van Dijk (£75 million) to Anfield with the proceeds of Philippe Coutinho's £142m sale to Barcelona. Memories are short in football, and even shorter when the facts interfere with the narrative being projected that Liverpool have become the new Chelsea. There were no new arrivals in the red half of Merseyside for the past two January transfer windows of 2024 and 2025. Furthermore, in an almost unprecedented set of circumstances, new manager Slot spent just £10m on Juventus' Federico Chiesa - the sole player brought in last summer - ahead of his first season at Liverpool. That's notwithstanding the profits from the exits at Liverpool last season. There could possibly be further departures during this transfer window with Luiz Diaz speculated to be moving on for a base asking price of £86.8m, while Darwin Núñez (£55m), Harvey Elliott (£40m-plus), Chiesa (£10m) and Tyler Morton (£15m) are also on the radars of opposing clubs. Should any of these come to fruition, the Boston accountants' margins will only increase. Liverpool are not just leading on the pitch, but are showing their rivals the "Moneyball" blueprint on how to be successful off it too, which could just yet be the foundation of a Reds dynasty that could dominate English football for years to come.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store