Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has indicated that the club could make a move for a forward on transfer deadline day, amidst ongoing interest in Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez. The statement comes after Arsenal secured their second consecutive victory in the Premier League season, defeating Aston Villa 1-0.
Alvarez has been a target for Arsenal throughout the summer. While the player has reportedly expressed a desire to join Barcelona, Atletico Madrid has stated they will not sell him to their La Liga rivals. This stance has potentially opened the door for a move worth approximately £130 million.
"If we can improve the squad we will," Arteta stated when asked about potential transfers. "The depth has to be really big when we are fighting in four competitions, so we are going to try to do that." When pressed specifically about Alvarez, Arteta deferred, saying, "I don't know. That's for the people upstairs."
Arsenal's transfer chief, Andrea Berta, previously brought Alvarez to Atletico Madrid from Manchester City and has reportedly been keen to sign him again.
Despite the transfer speculation, Arsenal demonstrated a strong performance against Aston Villa. The team controlled the match, securing the win with a second-half goal from Bukayo Saka. This performance contrasted with their previous encounter against Aston Villa last season, where a late goal from Emi Buendia proved decisive.
Arteta mentioned that the memory of that previous defeat has served as motivation. "We used what happened last year to bring more energy, conviction and belief – that image of the players on the floor totally gutted," he said. "When we had to be dominant and had to suffer, we did both, and I’m very pleased."
Aston Villa, meanwhile, has had a difficult start to their season, remaining without a point or a goal after their first two matches. Manager Unai Emery, who handed debuts to goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and forward Nicolas Jackson against Arsenal, expressed optimism despite the current results. "They are favorites to win the Premier League and we are trying to build a team, but a lot of positive things," Emery said. "The first step forward today is positive. To lose is painful, but after we must try to get positive things. This is the reason I am optimistic. There are 38 matches. After two matches, we don't have a point, but hopefully we can get better. We can feel confident after this result because of the way we want to build a team again."