Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shared his positive thoughts about the club’s future after an official announcement this week.
Arsenal under pressure to end Premier League title wait
Arteta is currently in the midst of yet another Premier League title race, as he looks to finally topple the rest of England and bring an end to the Gunners’ two-decade-long wait for a domestic crown.
Some pressure has grown on Arteta, given the club’s vast spending since his arrival, with precious few major trophies to show for his efforts, despite coming very close on multiple occasions.
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
25/26 – summer
£257m
Arsenal reached the Champions League semi-finals last year, only to be knocked out by eventual winners PSG, and finished second in the Premier League for the third consecutive year.
With the help of sporting director Andrea Berta, who splashed north of £250 million on eight major signings to bolster Arsenal’s squad, Arteta has shored up key areas to give Arsenal the best possible chance of etching their name on the Premier League trophy for the first time in 2004.
Berta’s arrival was, by some way, Arsenal’s most significant boardroom change to usher in a new era, but major news emerged this week that long-serving vice-chairman Tim Lewis has left the Emirates Stadium after five years.
The 62-year-old’s “shock” exit was first revealed by David Ornstein, and soon after confirmed by the club in an official announcement.
Lewis was “integral” to Arsenal’s rise, but Richard Garlick has now become CEO and Josh Kroenke is set for a more prominent role in what is a real revamp of the hierarchy.
Commenting on the changes upstairs, Arteta shared an emphatic prediction.
Mikel Arteta tips Arsenal for "wonderful future" after boardroom announcement
The announcement of Garlick becoming CEO and Lewis departing has attracted plenty of debate, but Arteta has tipped Arsenal for a “wonderful future” as he welcomes the reshuffle.
“Wonderful future, that’s the only thing that I can say,” said Arteta, when asked about the boardroom shake-up.
“I’m so positive about it and every time I speak to Stan and Josh [Kroenke] and how willing they are, the projection that they have, the vision they have for the football club, the people that we have around it, there’s no question that big things are ahead.”
Arsenal take on Man City in their next crucial top-flight match, and Arteta has been given a welcome boost with the confirmed involvement of Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres following head-injury scares in midweek.
However, Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard face late fitness tests which will determine their involvement against Pep Guardiola’s side.