Mikel Arteta believes the Premier League’s enforcement of Profit and Sustainability Rules has made clubs wary to do deals and slowed the transfer market down this summer.
Everton and Nottingham Forest were hit with points deductions last season for breaching PSR, while the likes of Newcastle were forced to frantically do deals before the end of last month to stay compliant.
Arteta believes the environment has made clubs wary about splashing the cash and it partly explains why the summer transfer window is yet to get going so far.
“A very different summer, with the Euros and the Copa America, it is different,” Arteta told Arsenal’s website.
“I think you can tell everything is a bit slower. I think the market and the new rules in place have caused that clubs are more aware and it’s a bit more delicate to do business in the way we’ve done in the last few seasons.
“We have adapted to that, and we still want to deliver what we want in the transfer window to have a much more competitive team, and improve the squad in every area that we can.”
Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title last season to Manchester City and Arteta has urged his side to go all the way this time around.
“That pain [of missing out on the title] is still there and I think it has to remain there,” he said.
“But after analysing the whole season and what we’ve done with all the staff, the team has done a lot and probably in any other context we would have won the Premier League and that’s a big jump, but it’s not enough.
“We know the demands in the league and the competition we are facing, so all the work that we’ve done in that resting period is just to find ways to get better and to see where the margins can be for our improvement.
“It’s a different hunger and it’s a different look. We’re really showing our teeth because we want to win and we know that if we want to achieve that in a consistent way and put the club in the position that we want, that’s going to be key.
“First of all, it’s about believing, we have to believe that we are good enough to do it and I think and I feel that belief, and the club is really hungry and we want more.”Arsenal have begun their pre-season preparations with a warm-weather training camp in Marbella.
They are due to head out to the USA later this month, where they will face Bournemouth and Manchester United in Los Angeles and Liverpool in Philadelphia.
“We have two huge matches against Manchester United and Liverpool and then we are going to go back to London to play against Leverkusen and then the Emirates Cup against Lyon,” said Arteta.
“So it fits in really well with what we want to do, different kind of opponents, different parts of the world, keeping our connection with our supporters and having the right football preparation to be very strong at the start of the season.”
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