Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the club is actively looking to sign another defender as it seeks to strengthen its squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
Arteta made the disclosure on Thursday while speaking ahead of Arsenal’s league opener against Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.
The Gunners are assessing their defensive options following a long-term injury to William Saliba, with Arteta acknowledging that the squad is currently short of another specialist defender.
“We are really active in the market,” Arteta said in a club statement. “The ambition is to improve the squad. We have a really specific issue in the backline, especially with the long-term injury of Wilo [Saliba] and the fact that we miss one more defender; that’s clear.”
He added that Arsenal would make an announcement once a deal was ready.
Asked whether the club was close to completing a signing, Arteta remained cautious but insisted Arsenal were working hard to strengthen the position.
“I’m always positive, I’m always confident. It’s something that I cannot control. It doesn’t depend just on us, so we are willing to improve that area and we’re going to try our best to achieve that,” he said.
Reports have linked Arsenal with Aston Villa and England defender Ezri Konsa, with the Gunners reportedly leading the race for the versatile centre-back.
Arteta also provided an update on several players ahead of Friday’s fixture, confirming that Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are available for selection.
“Yes, they’re ready to be involved, yes,” he said.
However, Jurriën Timber has yet to return to full team training and remains unavailable for the opening match.
“No, I said in the next few weeks. He’s not training with the group yet,” Arteta explained.
The Arsenal boss said the club was determined to maintain sufficient depth across the squad, particularly after injuries created difficult situations last season.
“I would like to have the squad as big as possible because we know what we are fighting for, how long this is and will learn again from the past, especially last year, when we got in some difficult situations and we had two or three injuries in the same area of the pitch,” he said.
“So the deeper the squad that we have, the better.”
Arteta stressed, however, that Arsenal’s ideal squad size would depend on factors such as player availability, injury records and versatility.
“22 players and three goalkeepers or four is enough, or maybe you need more,” he said, adding that the club would consider lessons from the previous campaign before settling on the right balance.
He also revealed that Myles Lewis-Skelly is expected to remain an Arsenal player after the transfer window closes.
“100%,” Arteta said when asked whether Lewis-Skelly would still be at the club at the end of the window.
Meanwhile, Arteta said Arsenal must approach the new campaign as a fresh challenge despite entering it as Premier League champions.
“From today, no, because we start from scratch, from zero tomorrow, and we’re going to have to prove we have the level to go back to that position again,” he said.
Arteta made it clear that Arsenal’s objective remains the defence of their Premier League title.
“You give me the choice, I want to be first, I want to be hunted, and I want to be in control of our future rather than depend on somebody else,” he said.
The Spaniard added that winning the title again would require Arsenal to demonstrate their quality consistently throughout the campaign.
He also stressed the importance of improved player availability, saying the team would need greater consistency and stronger performances across every department to create wider winning margins.
On Bruno Guimaraes’ fitness ahead of the Coventry fixture, Arteta said the midfielder was recovering well but that a final decision would be made after assessing his condition.
“Let’s see how he is. He’s evolving really well, but let’s see for tomorrow,” he said.
Arsenal will begin their title defence knowing that expectations have increased, with Arteta insisting that the club must prove once again that it has the quality and consistency required to remain at the top of English football.
