Arsenal fans are giddy about Mikel Arteta’s choice of words as he fielded questions about Viktor Gyokeres at his latest press conference on the club’s pre-season tour.
Arteta was asked about the Sporting striker as the Gunners continue to push for a dealand while he refused to comment directly, one particular word stood out to supporters.
“You know I cannot comment on any player that is not part of our group yet,” he told reporters when pressed on Gyokeres. “When we have something concrete to offer in any case, to any player, we will do that.”
The use of the word “yet” has sent Arsenal supporters into overdrive, with many taking it as a hint that the 27-year-old forward is close to joining.
Gyokeres is Arsenal’s main target up front this summer after scoring 54 goals for Sporting last season. Personal terms have reportedly been agreed upon, but negotiations over a transfer fee are still ongoing.
While Gyokeres remains the focus, Arteta also took time to praise Arsenal’s hierarchy and the work of sporting director Andrea Berta, who has already helped secure deals for Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Zubimendi, one of Arsenal’s earlier summer arrivals, has already made a strong impression in training. Arteta admitted the deal took time but said the midfielder left other opportunities on the table to make the move.
“It was a long, long process and he had a lot of opportunities to decide whether to come,” he said.
“The good news is that this club is amazing and everybody wants to come to it.
“He left some very good opportunities to come to us, and he’s been very impressive. I think we’re all very impressed with what we’ve seen in the last seven to 10 days.
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“Once you have the player daily there, you see his character, his personality, his intelligence and how much he’s going to bring to the dream. I’m very excited about him.”
Zubimendi’s arrival, along with a flurry of early business, has left Arteta encouraged by the way the club is operating in the market.
“Ideally, you want it (all transfer business) for day one of pre-season, so we’ve done very, very well so far,” Arteta said.
“I’m very pleased with the way the club is supporting the necessities and improvements that we required in the team.
I think Andrea (Berta) and the team are doing an excellent job as well, trying to push everything forwards.
There’s still a long time to go in the window, and we have a lot of hopes that we can still improve the team. We’re going to continue to try to do that.”
The Arsenal boss admitted his squad is still “short in terms of numbers” but insisted progress is being made.
“There’s still a long time in the window and we are seeking,” he added.
“We are short in terms of numbers, and we have to improve the depth and the quality of the squad.
We are constantly looking in the market, but we’ve got to focus on the players that we actually have, work with them, and I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen so far in the first ten to 15 days.”
