Signing players with Premier League experience ‘right decision’ – Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta has praised Arsenal’s Premier League signings for their immediate impact at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners travel to Liverpool on Sunday knowing they will remain at the top of the Premier League in their quest for their first title in 19 years, even if they dodge defeat.
Arteta has guided Arsenal to eighth place in a row before ending last season in fifth place.
However, this campaign has seen a significant turnaround in form and fortunes after some savvy signings improved on the quality already present at the club.
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko each won four Premier League titles at Manchester City before heading to north London last summer after Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White had previously joined.
Then Arsenal signed Champions League winners Jorginho from Chelsea and Leandro Trossard from Brighton in January.
“They give you stability,” Arteta said of recruiting players with experience in England’s top flight.
“Because they’ve already done it, because they’ve experienced these (challenges) before and that makes that process a lot easier, especially when you have five, six, seven new players. Some of them quickly integrate the pace, demands and understanding needed in the league.
“We knew we were hoping for that with these players and it turned out to be the right decision.”
Trossard arrived from Brighton after original winter target Mykhailo Mudryk opted for London rivals Chelsea instead.
However, since joining from Shakhtar Donetsk, the £62m player has struggled to find his feet in the Premier League, while Trossard shone for Arsenal.
The Belgian striker has scored once and provided seven assists in 11 league games for his new side.
He could be benched at Anfield as Arteta has his four main attacking options fit for the first time since the World Cup, with Trossard, Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all battling for a place in the starting XI.
One thing that undoubtedly speaks for Trossard is the fact that he scored a hat-trick in Brighton’s 3-3 draw with Merseyside at Liverpool earlier this season.
“It’s great to have a player who experienced something really nice and positive at this stadium,” said Arteta.
“He was a crucial player that day and it was a beautiful game to watch. That’s what we need, a lot of players on the pitch who believe we can go there and win.”
Only his compatriot Kevin De Bruyne has provided more open-play assists than Trossard this season in the Premier League, while Martinelli, Saka and Martin Odegaard have all scored 10 goals.
“It’s really positive,” Arteta replied when asked about the possibility of scoring and assists in his team.
“We want to push the individual to their limits. To do that, they first have to be on the pitch, which is what they were and what they have to do.
“Gate sharing is something we had to improve massively, especially in midfield, we wanted to do that better and then the unpredictability that comes from the opponent is obviously an advantage.”
