Arsenal Project Will Soon Score Big

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says his Gunners project will explode into life when everything falls into place.

Arsenal are currently 10th in the Premier League and saw their defense of the FA Cup ended with a fourth-round defeat to Southampton in January.

That leaves the Europa League as their only hope of silverware – though Arteta says the future is bright even if they do not end the season with a trophy.

“I think this project is going to go ‘bang’,” said the Spaniard.

“This is where we are but sometimes it is difficult to see the moment now, but I’m sure [of] where we are going.

“We have created a really strong group, a really strong bond with our players, with our fans, with our staff and that is going to pay big in the future.

Read: Arsenal Borrow Sh16 Billion To Mitigate Covid-19 Effects

“If you are not inside the club every day and know exactly what is going on within the club, the only way to convince anybody is to win.”

Arsenal’s most recent financial results, released last week, revealed a £47.8m loss, a figure made worse because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The north London club has not played in front of a full capacity Emirates Stadium for more than a year because of government coronavirus restrictions, though a socially-distanced crowd of 2,000 was permitted for two games in December when restrictions were briefly eased in the capital.

Arteta says he does not know whether those losses will impact his ability to spend in the transfer market this summer but is aware of how important competing in Europe next season is to the club’s finances.

“We know the aim always is to be involved in the Champions League but at the moment things are looking difficult but possible, and obviously the financial package that is attached to it for the club at the moment is really, really important,” added Arteta, whose side play Olympiakos in the Europa League last-16 first leg on Thursday.

“We have people on loan, people finishing contracts, there is a lot going on the last two transfer windows, the amount of things to be done was probably unprecedented and it will be again in the summer.

“So we are trying to put a plan together to see with the resources we have how much we want to improve, how we’re going to do it, and at what cost, and that is just so many factors.

“I want a sustainable club. We all want a club that can be run with its own resources. It is great we have support from our owners.

“We have had that in the summer when it was much needed because of everything that has happened with Covid and what happened at the club in the last three years without the Champions League, and the hit that that took.

“But our responsibility and everything we are planning for the future is for this club to go back to being sustainable on its own and being all the time as strong as possible in every department and the financial department is crucial as well.”

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