Arteta: The Squad Is Stronger Than Last Season, Now It Is Time to Prove It

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insists he is satisfied with the club's recently completed transfer window and believes the current squad is stronger than it was at the same time last year.

During this transfer window, Arsenal made several promising signings, bringing in Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis.

At the same time, the team let Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus leave, while young player Ethan Nwaneri was loaned to Borussia Dortmund. However, according to Fabrizio Romano's report for CaughtOffside, he can be recalled in January next year.

Overall, Arteta is satisfied with his squad and said at a press conference that the players now need to prove it through their performances.

“That is how I feel (that the squad is stronger),” Arteta said. “Now we have to prove that. I think we are better equipped, and I think we have more players available than we had at the start of last season. I think we have improved the quality and also strengthened the leadership within the team, which is very important.”

The leadership Arteta mentioned could come from Guimaraes and Konsa, two experienced players who have maintained a high level of performance in the Premier League over recent seasons. This is a quality that is easy to underestimate, and Arteta may now have more leaders and winners in his squad who can help take the team further.

Arsenal fans may not fully agree, but Arteta's point about player availability is indeed easy to overlook. Arsenal suffered serious injury problems last season, with key players such as Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz rarely playing together. When all three are in their best form at the same time, Arsenal's attack can show greater strength than it did during many periods of last season.