Mikel Arteta needs the support of the Arsenal board in rebuilding the struggling squad. That's according to Gunners hero David Seaman, who described the Spaniard as "a great manager." Seaman called on his old club to back Arteta in the transfer market.
Arteta took charge of the Emirates in December and set out to turn the team around. The side ended the Premier League campaign outside of the top six but earned a ticket to the Europa League by capturing the FA Cup last Sunday.
It has been a frustrating season for the Gunners, in general, but the new manager appeared ready to move forward. Arteta will most certainly rely on fresh signings to strengthen his squad, and Seaman said the manager deserves all the support he can get.
"The board need to back Arteta because he is a great manager and I am sure that if they don't, he might not hang around for too long," Metro reported the Arsenal legend as saying.
He added that the club boss will likely overhaul the existing Gunners lineup and in doing so, players will be released and new ones must come in. For this to take effect effectively, the Arsenal board must give their full backing of what Arteta plans to carry out.
Seaman noted that since Arsenal will still compete in Europe next season, top players will be attracted to sign up with the club.
Deemed as a priority for Arteta is to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a new deal and possibly the transfer of Willian from Chelsea and Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona. The Spaniard is also expected to work on the offloading of players labeled as either surplus to requirements or just plain unwanted from the roster.
The summer transfer could see the departure of Matteo Guendouzi and Mesut Ozil, and these are the kind of movements that Arteta hopes will win the approval of the Arsenal hierarchy.
In a related report, Forbes said Arteta is undertaking the transformation of Arsenal that has been on the decline in the past years. The side is but a shadow of the greatness seen in the past decades when the Gunners were consistent Premier League title contenders and a force to reckon with in the Champions League competition.
Arteta is attempting to bring back the Gunners' glorious years and it would seem that he is taking a page from the playbook used by Mauricio Pochettino with Tottenham. Like Pochettino, Arteta is overhauling the Arsenal culture and working to whip up a modern football squad.
Part of the modernization plan is how Arsenal will figure in the transfer market, and there were concerns the team is not prepared to spend for the right players. In this aspect, Arteta will need a bigger room to operate and the support from the club will determine if he would find success, the report added.
