Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has insisted they will need ‘investment and time again’ to help them take ‘another leap forward’.
The Gunners are currently on an good run of form that has put them as the front-runners to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League next season.
That would be a major achievement for this Arsenal squad, which has been reassembled since Arteta’s arrival two years ago.
The Spaniard has worked hard to bring down the age of the group and focus on youth moving forwards with signings such as Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Nuno Tavares, Sambi Lokonga and Martin Odegaard.
There has also been an effort to promote from within too, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and now Eddie Nketiah given their chance to shine.
There is likely to be a focus on youth again this summer, although there is a growing belief Arteta would like to add experience to the mix as well.
“I think the team has made a great leap forward in terms of identity, play, style, clarity,” Marca report him saying.
“They (the young players) have shown that they have the ability to win games and to be decisive, and they have done so in a very consistent way for many games.
“You have to be very careful because the leap is very big. We have to protect them so that when other moments come, we can be there too.
“That connection that we have made with all the employees from within, with the players in the sense of belonging, of clarity, of idea….
“People have thrown themselves into the team, they have felt what the team transmits, they feel identified with the young people, with the model.
“That is what is going to give us a lot of strength; it is going to give us an advantage to take another leap forward, which we already know where it is going and which is going to require investment and time again.”
