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Football London
Football London
Sport
Aaron Catterson-Reid

What Josh Kroenke said on Arsenal transfers, Emirates Stadium renovation and Mikel Arteta

Arsenal are set for a hugely important three weeks as Mikel Arteta and Co look to secure a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.

The north London outfit currently find themselves fourth in the Premier League standings, two points clear of Tottenham Hotspur, who they play next Thursday. A top-four finish would be huge for the Gunners, especially when you consider they lost their opening three league fixtures back in August.

Now, non-executive director Josh Kroenke and Chief Executive Vinai Venkatesham have been speaking at the recent Arsenal fans' forum and football.london has brought you the main points that were brought up below, thanks to Twitter user @Peterhoest, who was able to transcribe the important quotes from the forum.

Read more: Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham battle in top-four race - Predict final Premier League table

Josh Kroenke on 2021/22 campaign:

"It’s been a rollercoaster of a season. I say that with a smile on my face. To think back to where we were after three matches, Mikel and the team have done an amazing job stabilizing the ship. I wanna thank you guys for sticking with us through all the ups and downs."

Josh Kroenke on the fans:

"The support home and away has been unbelievable. I can feel and hear a whole new level of connection that’s going on around the club. It makes a real difference."

Josh Kroenke on summer transfer plans:

"We've got plans in place to continue to strengthen the squad. Now having match day revenue and having fans back in the stadium has been great. We continue to provide whatever support we can for Mikel and continue to push the squad forward to achieve our goals."

Josh Kroenke on the women's team:

"It’s really exciting to see the women’s team coming along as well. Arsenal continue to be at the forefront of that. It’s great to see our team pushing for the league title. We're investing in new buildings for the women’s team. More matches to be played at the Emirates."

Vinai Venkatesham on connection with the fans :

"The one constant this season is that support from the fans has been amazing. Before the season, Mikel and I talked about: how do we get the connection with the fans back? And it feels like it’s really strong at the moment."

Vinai Venkatesham on expectations:

"Given how much change happened last summer and given the age profile of the squad, the reality is with four games to go, we are a bit ahead of where we expected we would be. We are still behind where we wanna be, and that’s competing to win the biggest trophies in the game."

Vinai Venkatesham on summer plans

"That’s our focus this summer: how can we strengthen the squad? How can we get closer to competing? We are confident that we are on the right path."

Vinai Venkatesham on Jonas Eidevall and the women's team:

"Delighted how Jonas has settled in with the women’s team. It’s been great to have women’s games at the Emirates, and there are more to come. We’re looking to strengthen the squad and the support staff."

Vinai Venkatesham on the relationship with former players and community work:

"Another big objective has been to strengthen the relationship with ex-players. Quite a few have been to Colney to talk to our players. We are super proud of the community work we do, like 'Wear no red'. We also continue to help local businesses."

Vinai Venkatesham on Emirates Stadium plans:

"We continue the program on investing in the stadium. We’re on track to replace the big screens, and the work on the roof has begun. We’re also working on how to speed up access to the stadium."

Vinai Venkatesham on Amazon's 'All or Nothing' documentary:

"There will be 8 episodes of 'All or Nothing' – I have seen 4. It’s really good. It’s gonna be a real look behind the scenes. We're working on clarification on what happens at the FF (fans forum) and what happens at the Advisory Board. Both the FF and the AB (Advisory Board) will continue."

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