Mikel Arteta acknowledged that the Gunners would be unable to splash the cash on one or two big players during the summer transfer window.
Arsenal are anticipated to prepare for another summer of considerable squad changes, notably in the attacking areas, with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah poised to go as free agents.
Numerous offensive targets have previously been touted following Arsenal’s January failure to acquire Dusan Vlahovic, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Gabriel Jesus, and Darwin Nunez.
Arsenal have reportedly agreed to pay £42 million for Manchester City’s Jesus, but Arteta has urged Arsenal fans not to expect his team to spend as much on a single player as Liverpool did for Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk.
“I don’t think we are in a position where we can do that, so we have to find other ways to do it,” Arteta told Sky Sports News when questioned on Liverpool’s big-money defensive signings.
“Liverpool, as well, have improved their players immensely, which is as important as bringing players in. And then, the ones that you buy, [it’s important] that they can have an impact straight away.
“That’s a big decision they have to make in recruitment, and then they are human beings as well. They have to adapt, and sometimes that’s a tricky question to answer before they are actually here.
“We want to make the squad stronger, we want to make the starting XI stronger, we want to make the specificity and the personality of our players stronger, and that’s what we are going to be seeking to do.
“It will depend on many factors – how many players are back from their loans, with the commitments we still have with them; our financial position in relation to where we finish; the clubs’ demands when we want to buy players or sell players. There are a lot of question marks there, but this is football.”
Arsenal may also be on the lookout for a new central midfielder, with Mohamed Elneny less than two months away from being a free agent, although the Egypt international has excelled in recent weeks against Chelsea and Manchester United.
