LONDON, Aug 14 — Arsenal will not re-evaluate their transfer plans after Friday’s Premier League season-opening defeat by Brentford, said manager Mikel Arteta, who insisted he is focussed on improving his current squad.
Arsenal lost 2-0 after Sergi Canos and Christian Norgaard scored a goal each as Brentford celebrated their return to the top-flight after a 74-year absence.
Arsenal were without the attacking duo of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang due to illness, but Arteta said the team was good enough to achieve a different result.
“My focus is on the players that we have - to make them play as well as possible and get the best out of the team, finding the way to win football matches,” Arteta told reporters after Friday’s match, when asked if the defeat creates an urgency to sign new players.
“We are very clear of what we wanted to do, what our strengths are and where we can improve,” he said, adding he does not think the “performance shows anything different to what we’ve already seen.”
Arsenal, who finished eighth last season and failed to qualify for European football, have signed defenders Ben White and Nuno Tavares along with midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga in the summer transfer window but are yet to add fresh attacking firepower.
Arteta said before the game the club was trying to adapt to the demands of “the most difficult transfer market”.
Arsenal host London rivals and Champions League holders Chelsea in their next league game on August 22. — Reuters
