Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, has stated that the club intends to be "very ambitious" in the summer transfer market and "won't sit still," amidst ongoing speculation linking the team with a move for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr.
Arteta would not directly address questions regarding Arsenal's specific interest in Vinicius Jr., who has been heavily linked with a transfer to the London club. However, he reiterated his earlier comments that new signings are needed to elevate Arsenal to a "different dimension."
Following Arsenal's 4-1 preseason victory over Girona, Arteta elaborated on the club's transfer strategy. "Well, we are really active, trying to improve and evolve the team. That's clear," he said. "We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously, because we want to get better like anybody else. And you can just see it. The transfer market and our opponents, what we are doing – we won't sit still. And we are very ambitious in what we want to do."
Vinicius Jr.'s contract with Real Madrid is set to expire next summer, and reports indicate that Arsenal is interested in signing the 26-year-old Brazilian winger. Arteta emphasized the need for continuous improvement, noting, "The margins are very small. And because we want to get better and the level is going to increase, we need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don't have in the team, to have bigger margins. And that's the way we have to think."
During the match against Girona, 16-year-old Max Dowman scored a goal and provided an assist, drawing praise from Arteta. "That's what we want," Arteta commented on Dowman's performance. "When you play for Arsenal, the expectations should be high and should be expecting really good things. We know what he's capable of doing. We want to be more consistent in terms of the performances and the actions that he can deliver. But I think today he had a really good game."