Mikel Arteta delivers bold verdict on current Arsenal squad in his six-year reign

Mikel Arteta delivers bold verdict on current Arsenal squad in his six-year reign originally appeared on The Sporting News

Arsenal have been one of the busiest teams in the transfer window this summer as they have plugged most of the holes in their roster from last season by spending around £190m on six players. 

The tally could reach £250m with Eberechi Eze also joining the Gunners from Crystal Palace after Arsenal hijacked Tottenham Hotspur's deal for the 27-year-old. 

However, as per reports, Eze won't be a part of the Arsenal roster as they take the field against Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, August 23. 

Ahead of the game, Arteta was asked if this is the most complete squad since he took over the reins at Arsenal, the Spaniard replied, "In terms of numbers and quality, yes for sure."

"When you shake the tree and bring in more players, there are always things that can happen.

"The spirit of that is to be more competitive, to be better and learn from the past, and with the squad we had last year we made life very, very difficult for ourselves if you look at the size and depth of other squads and the resources they had.

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"So, we all have big smiles on our faces with the understanding that we have done really well, but the market is not closed and we have to stay very alert because there are a lot of things that can happen still. But so far, so good."

What did Arteta say about Kai Havertz's injury?

A couple of days ago, Arsenal suffered a major blow when Kai Havertz was declared injured and many people felt, the Gunners decided to sign Eze as a repercussion of the German's injury. 

Arsenal FC

However, Arteta clarifies that signing Eze had nothing to do with Havertz's injury. "I think it was very clear what I said that it (transfer business) wasn't done."

"Obviously we were very active trying to look at the possibilities that could come. We are not reacting to anything, we've been very prepared and understanding what we could do, and we have decided this is the moment to do it."

Meanwhile, the Spaniard also revealed that Havertz isn't available for this fixture, but he is in good stead to recover from the setback. 

With the Germany international's injury, the Gunners may push for another forward in the transfer market as they only have Viktor Gyokeres as the designated striker in their stacked roster. 

Arsenal news and related links

• Martin Odegaard lauds Arsenal's new signing for adding 'new dimension' to the Gunners
• Viktor Gyokeres reveals taking Thierry Henry's iconic Arsenal number was an "easy choice"
• Shot shy Gyokeres at the Emirates: 3 key questions in Arsenal vs. Leeds United