Mikel Arteta says Arsenal transfer approach will make things 'very different' this season

Mikel Arteta is hopeful that this season is going to be "very different" when it comes to picking his Arsenal team on a matchday. The Gunners were unable to win silverware in 2024/25 as they finished second in the Premier League table and then exited the Champions League and Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage.

League rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have strengthened ahead of the new season and Arsenal have done exactly the same by confirming deals for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Noni Madueke. The north London club still have plenty to do in the transfer market, with Cristhian Mosquera and Viktor Gyokeres in line to join from Valencia and Sporting CP respectively.

One of Arsenal's major issues last season came on the injury front, with crucial players missing lengthy periods of the season, thus limiting Arteta's options in the process at a time when they were challenging for silverware. That will hopefully be a thing of the past with Arsenal now building a strong squad that should allow them to compete on four fronts and keep the team fresh at all times.

"Well 'Tier 1' means that they have the capacity to be starters basically," said Arteta when asked about 'Tier 1' signings. "But the Tier 1, 2, 3 system I don't believe in that much now.

"The way the game's evolving, the demands we put in with 70, 75 games per season. At the end we want to build a team, like other clubs already have, where you look at the squad and you cannot really identify who is going to play tomorrow. If we get to that point, and that competitiveness has as well the right level of co-operation between the players, that's what we want."

When asked if he has something in his office listing players by tier, he added: "Now I'll change it. Because that's going to mould, and now we're going to have the capacity as well to decide who is in the best condition to play this game hopefully, because last year no.

"Last year the line up was done: 'Give me five players who can finish 90 minutes. Those 5? Ok, those I have to play. Now give me another five who can do this and then…' And we played like this for seven months.

"We need to get away from that, because those restrictions are limiting our capacity to perform and then have the freshness that we need at the end of the season.

"Hopefully this season is going to be very different, and we can decide what is the best team with the best players to play against this opponent today, and then we want to change the game, the team - whatever the context is, winning, drawing or losing - we can change it immediately and have those players that can impact the result."

So does Arteta believe his Arsenal team has what it takes to go on and win the league?

"Yes I do," he stated. "It is getting more and more competitive each year. The level is increasing. We know that so our demands have to increase as well. But we have also been very active in the market.

"We have to improve the players we already have which is a massive objective after that. And then, set the right fundamentals and the right principles in pre-season to get the team ready with the best possible shape and availability to start the season."

Last season may have ultimately ended in disappointment for the Gunners but the players and all at the club are only looking ahead and focusing on how to become even better.

Arteta said: "The only thing that they were talking about at the end of last season and the first day through the door is 'OK, how are we going to be better? How are we going to do more?'

"We know that we are so close now in two big competitions and we just want to make the next step. There are going to be a lot of details and moments that have to go our way. We have to push for that to happen."

He added: "Every year we have to see how things develop but I see the right balance in terms of maturity, experience, youth, hunger and all these ingredients are there.

"The thing is there are another six, seven, eight clubs in the league that have the right ingredients to win and there is only going to be one winner. So we have to focus a lot on the things that we can control, that we can do, to achieve what we want at the end of the season."

Arsenal have included eight academy players as part of their pre-season tour of Asia, including talented 15-year-old Max Dowman. Arteta believes that the new generation "are ready a little bit earlier" due to how quickly they adapt, but he knows the importance of managing their development and not rushing into things.

"We want to get as much talent as we possibly can from the academy and bring it up to the first team. This is a beautiful context for them to get involved," outlined the Spaniard.

"We have already a few of them in Murcia, in Spain and it is a joy. The way they adapt at that age, I could not do it but I think this generation goes faster, they are ready a little bit earlier. We don't have to rush. Make sure we manage the right steps and the right expectations for all of them and then let’s see what they demand."