Arsenal preparing for transfers with Arteta as manager

Mikel Arteta has the full backing of the Arsenal board and the club are underway with their efforts to secure the signings he is after in the summer transfer window.

The fanbase is torn. In truth, rarely ever are they in unison. However, whatever one’s standpoint may be on the future of Mikel Arteta, he isn’t going anywhere and the club are firmly behind him.

Debates over progression, regression, suitability and everything else in between do not factor in to the decision of the club in this instance: they have invested into a project and his name is Arteta.

With every possibility of a mid-table finish and no European football for the coming season, uncharted territory for the vast majority of supporters, the position remains unaltered.

Arsenal preparing for transfers with Mikel Arteta as manager after show of faith that he will not be sacked

Belief in the manager is admirable, but not some foreign concept. This is a club who had one man at the helm for 22 years, and although he brought success in different forms in many peoples’ eyes, he was backed to remain despite a lengthy period of the grip loosening on the top echelon of the Premier League.

In order to back the manager then funds must be available. Arsenal don’t boast such monetary strength and player sales will largely dictate their activity in the market, not least since the club are expecting losses of over £150m and no incoming finances from the Europa League or Champions League.

As stated by David Ornstein and followed up by Fabrizio Romano, transfers are being sounded out the the manager’s preferences.

"“They are looking at players that Arteta likes. This is typical when you want to continue with a manager for the next season. They are backing him 100%,” Romano stated."

Among those are Achraf Hakimi, who is ‘probably at the top’ of the Gunners’ wishlist, albeit an exceedingly difficult operation to conclude.

Hector Bellerin will leave, while the situations with David Luiz, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira are being finalised. Alexandre Lacazette, who is free to depart, if sold will do so with the plan to secure a replacement.

These are mere hors d’oeuvres of a Michelin star restaurant’s tasting menu, but the premise is the same: Arteta will be the man who fronts this rebuild.

Can he and the relatively inexperienced group behind him be trusted to do so? There have been instances already to suggest otherwise – Willian was, and still is, an unmitigated disaster – as the club enters one of the biggest summers in its history.

The man in the dugout will be removed from his position unless the plunge is more considerable than it already is – it’s worrying to think how much further that could be – thus coming to terms with that view and giving him the upcoming window and months that follow to address the situation is the only beneficial course of action.