Mikel Arteta responds to Riccardo Calafiori transfer question and sends strong message to Arsenal board

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has responded to a question about the Riccardo Calafiori transfer situation whilst also sending a strong and clear message to the club’s board about what they have to do this summer.

Arsenal are closing in on the Italy international, according to BBC Sport, though they also quote Arteta as saying he has no update on that particular deal, though the Spanish tactician then goes on to say how important it is for the Gunners to achieve a perfect summer transfer window.

Arsenal have come really close to winning the title for two seasons in a row now, but on both occasions narrowly missed out as Manchester City ended up taking the trophy, so Arteta will be understandably desperate to fix some of the finer details of his squad to ensure they can go all the way this time.

Discussing Arsenal transfers this summer, Arteta clearly took the opportunity to send a message to his board about how important it is to get their deals right if they are to go on and enjoy success on the pitch.

Arteta’s Arsenal transfer demand

“We have to,” Arteta said when asked about improving his squad. “When you are so close you want to grab it.

“Perfection in this league requires different standards when you relate that word to winning the Premier League and that is what we have to do.

“There is still a lot of time left in the window and while that is more a question for the board, obviously we know there are certain positions that we want to improve and give the squad better resources in terms of numbers but the main thing is to focus on falling in love with the players we have.”

AFC supporters will no doubt be excited by the arrival of Calafiori, but it also seems clear that the north London giants could do with further new additions before the start of the campaign after what has been a surprisingly quiet summer at the Emirates Stadium so far.