Arsenal transfer news: Mikel Arteta says Gunners ‘actively looking’ to sign striker
“Obviously, during the period when we lost them, ideally we needed some help. We were already short and now we’re even shorter. Teams are still dealing with that.”
However, he said he would only do “what’s right for the club” and was “actively looking” to “find the right player”.
“Any player, no,” he added. “(It has to be) someone who can make us better and make an impact on the team.”
Arsenal have been linked with Leipzig striker Benjamin Cesco and Wolves striker Matheus Cunha, but Arteta did not comment on either player in his pre-match press conference, saying Arsenal Whether the striker deal can be completed is uncertain.
“It doesn’t just depend on Arsenal, Mikel or our wishes. It depends on the market and a lot of different factors,” Arteta added.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said after their win over north London rivals Tottenham that he would not be “surprised” if Arsenal did try to sign a striker this window, but Artert Tower said his players haven’t told him they feel they need anyone in the door.
“We’ve all been through it and we all look at each other,” Arteta said.
“We were very, very short on numbers for many weeks and they recognized the situation and we all recognized it.”
However, the Arsenal boss did say that he sometimes talks to players about potential signings, especially if they have played together before, to gain insight into their personalities.
“It takes us away from the computer, away from whatever the data says, and it’s true,” Spaniard said.
“I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it. A player can score a lot of goals, it’s great. How does a player react when he doesn’t score for six or seven games?
“That’s what I’m interested in, looking at an interview with a player who hasn’t scored in six games and then what kind of goals does he score?
“Against which teams and under what circumstances? Is it the first half or the second half? Only with the right foot, only with the header, only with open spaces? Does he like the physical contact of this league?
“There’s a lot of things. So when you have a player that you’ve spent a lot of days with, it’s really valuable information.”
