Craig Burley and Steve Nicol discuss Arsenal’s links to Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori. (2:02)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted his team needs reinforcements in order to compete with Manchester City for the Premier League title, having fallen just short in each of the past two seasons.
Arsenal’s sole incoming of the summer so far has been making goalkeeper David Raya’s loan move from Brentford permanent, though they have been heavily linked with Bologna and Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori in recent weeks.
Speaking to media as the team arrived in the United States for their preseason tour, Arteta said: “Perfection in this league requires different standards to relate that word to winning the Premier League.
“That’s what we need to do, we need to upgrade everything we’re doing and improve in every area. That’s what we’re trying to do.
“We are so close. There are moments where we had really fine margins. We have earned to be there, and obviously we want much more and we are going to try to get it.”
The former Arsenal and Everton player added that the club’s transfer dealings would be focused on particular shortcomings they had identified off the back of the previous campaigns, though insisted his primary goal was to improve the players already available to him and his staff.
“We know there are certain positions that we want to improve and give the squad better resources, especially in terms of numbers where we are very short,” he said.
“We will try our best but the main thing is to focus on falling in love with the players we have and make them better.”
Arsenal’s preseason tour begins in Los Angeles where they face Bournemouth on July 24, followed by a clash with Manchester United on July 27 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.
The trip concludes with a game against Liverpool in Philadelphia on July 31, before preseason fixtures with Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon at the Emirates in August.
Arsenal’s Premier League campaign begins on Aug. 17 as Wolves visit north London.