Mikel Arteta refused to let the disappointment of missing out on top transfer target Mykhaylo Mudryk to rivals Chelsea detract from Arsenal 's emphatic North London Derby win.
Ukrainian wonderkid Mudryk completed an astonishing £87million move to Chelsea on Sunday, just hours before Arsenal cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over neighbours Tottenham. Gunners boss Arteta had identified Mudryk, 21, as his priority target ahead of the January transfer window but Arsenal chiefs refused to meet Shakhtar Donetsk 's lofty asking price.
Chelsea came along and gazumped the Gunners, who refused to budge from their final £62m offer and £50,000-a-week wage proposal - the latter sum being one which the desperate Blues doubled. After trumping Spurs in their one-sided derby, Arteta was asked about missing out on the Ukraine international but was only focused on his own team.
"I am very proud to have the players we have," the Gunners boss affirmed to Sky Sports post-match. "We always want to try to improve the squad. The club are the first to try and improve the players we have. We have to have some discipline and be consistent in the targets we have. We can make the players better - let's focus on that.
"We had some injuries, long-term injuries and it's not helpful but we can focus on tomorrow. Train better, train better and review the game. We will try to improve the team. There are always a few parties involved. The club are willing and they have my support and I have their support."
In contrast, under-fire Chelsea manager Graham Potter was delighted to get a deal for Mudryk over the line, despite the player's well-documented preference to join Arsenal. "You're never surprised in the transfer window because things happen sometimes like you don't expect," Potter explained after the Blues' 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. "He is a young player with a big future. He's exciting, one-vs-one, can threaten the goal. I think our supporters already like him."
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Arteta will no-doubt be the happier man after the weekend, though, with Arsenal sitting top of the Premier League table and boasting an eight-point lead as they approach the halfway mark. Asked about the Gunners' healthy position in the table, he told BBC Sport : "It means that the way we are playing has taken us this far and we should never forget that.
"We have to continue playing this way or better because the team still has a lot of things that can be improved collectively and individually and if we focus on that, I'm sure we'll be fine."
Arteta added: "It is a very special day for everybody who feels the way that we feel about this football club. We talked about the opportunity and that we have to play with a level of enjoyment because we have the power to make people happy. I'm sure we made them proud and very happy tonight."
