Arsenal Chief: Clear Plan Drawn Up For Summer Recruitment

Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham says summer plan is locked in…

Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham told supporters during a fans’ forum that the recruitment plans for the summer have been drawn up as Mikel Arteta aims to strengthen the squad further, Peter Høst reports.

The club chose to keep their powder dry for the January transfer window despite the needs of the squad, preferring to wait for their main targets in the summer.

Despite the lack of incomings, we were busy trimming the squad with seven first-team members departing, including the permanent exits of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sead Kolasinac and Calum Chambers.

Since their complete takeover of the club in 2018, KSE have been willing to invest heavily in the squad and are fully behind Arteta’s vision.

“We are in well in contention for European places. We have got a really good chance of getting in the top four, and that’s what we’re fighting for,” Vinai was quoted as saying.

“A lot of rebuilding was done in the summer. There are plans to strengthen the club further this coming summer. We have a very clear plan.”

Asked why the club failed to act in the January window despite the lack of numbers in the squad, the Arsenal CEO said: “I’m not a big fan of the January window.

“We were focused on seeing if any of the things we wanted to do this summer could be brought forward. We were active in a number of conversations. In the end, it didn’t prove possible.

“Everybody is comfortable with what we have,” he added.

With just 16 games left this season, all in the Premier League, the task for the squad is clear in a bid to return to Europe’s premier club competition.

Keeping our main players fit and suspension-free is crucial and, if we do that, I firmly believe we can win enough points to once again secure Champions League football.

A return to the infamous competition will surely arm the recruitment team with the status and finances required to bolster the squad.