Arsenal's summer has been busy so far to say the least as they gear up for a new Premier League campaign. The Gunners have won five pre-season matches out of five and face Sevilla on Saturday in the final of the Emirates Cup before the season gets underway at Crystal Palace the following Friday.
Plenty of new faces will be involved too, with five new additions made to the squad so far, with over £100million spent. Mikel Arteta will be hoping that will help his side close the gap to a top four finish, having missed out on a potential return to the Champions League last season by the narrowest of margins.
With business conducted early in the window from Arsenal, the manager outlined the importance of having his new squad members settle into the side. Arteta said: "It’s ideal for any coach that you ask, the earlier you get the players, the better. Because you need to get them in the cohesion of the team, understanding each other, relaxed and comfortable socially around the team and the fact that he [Gabriel Jesus] has been with us for a few weeks makes a huge difference."
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However, when asked about whether the success in pre-season changes the approach in the rest of the window, the Spaniard hinted at the potential for more arrivals: "Nothing. Again, don’t get carried away. There were a lot of positives, there are a lot of things we can do much, much better than we have done today as well and we have to continue to improve as a team."
football.london understands that a central midfielder remains high on the priority list for the Gunners before the window slams shut in a few weeks time. A whole host of players have been linked, from Youri Tielemans to Lucas Paqueta.
However, a recurring name since January has been that of Juventus' Arthur Melo. The Brazilian is said to be free to leave the club this summer with a potential loan deal on the cards.
The north London outfit may have to move fast though as journalist Gianluca di Marzio reports that Valencia have joined the race to sign the 25-year-old. That interest could prompt the Gunners to finally make their move to land the midfielder this summer to improve their squad depth.
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