Injuries Must Come Over Signings At Arsenal
Mikel Arteta believes that Arsenal should concentrate on minimising injuries before worrying about new signings
Mikel Arteta has called on Arsenal to concentrate on getting their medical situation in order over the summer, with the midfielder claiming that new signings will come a far off second to making sure the core group is able to have a problem-free season.
The Gunners have had numerous problems, particularly in their defensive line-up, as the current season wears on, and it could be argued that they would be in a very different position in the Premier League table if the likes of Jack Wilshere, Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna were available for the entire campaign.
And with summer signing Andre Santos undergoing a lengthy spell away from the pitch, Arsene Wenger has had to make ends meet with a thin squad on numerous occasions.
Arteta believes that this summer, rather than continuing to make new signings, the club should first and foremost concentrate on making sure their players are under minimal threat to injury.
"Obviously if you spend a lot of money to bring in top players you have a better chance because you have a bigger squad and you can change the team around but, for me, a key thing with our squad is the injuries," he told Sport Magazine, via Talksport.
"We've been hit with important, long-term injuries the whole season that really, really affect the team. I always said I would like to see this team playing with the same XI for 10-15 games - then we could talk about if we were good enough or not.
"Now we're starting to do it and we are starting to get really good results. So for me the biggest concern is to stop the injuries."
Arsenal have been connected with a host of names in preparation for the summer transfer window, and in particular the club have been linked with striker Lukas Podolski.
While the Gunners will no doubt be connected to a wide range of expensive players in the lead up to June, Wenger is likely to follow his usual pattern of bringing in only players who he feels the price is right for.
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