England international Bukayo Saka and midfielder Emile Smith Rowe have emerged as first-team regulars under Mikel Arteta; watch Chelsea vs Arsenal on Wednesday from 7.30pm live on Sky Sports Premier League; kick-off is 8.15pm
Tuesday 11 May 2021 12:06, UK
Mikel Arteta is confident he can build an Arsenal team that will challenge for silverware again around the new generation of talent that has emerged under his tenure.
Arteta has admitted his squad needs an overhaul this summer after a difficult domestic campaign, with the club on the verge of missing out on European qualification for the first time in 25 years.
England international Bukayo Saka and attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe have impressed for the Gunners under the Spaniard, while the future of fellow academy product Joe Willock is unclear as he flourishes on loan at Newcastle.
"Absolutely. There is a great potential with them," Arteta said as he expressed his belief in the youth within the Gunners squad.
"They have shown that this season they are ready to take responsibility in important moments.
"They have the level to do it, they have the hunger to do it and they have the right senior players around them to help them as well. It is about how we click and how we are consistent.
"We have shown on the day that we can compete and beat the top teams but through 38 games we haven't done it.
"In the Europa League we did it to the point that we are so close to getting into that final but in 38 [Premier League] games that is the duty that we have and the challenge ahead of us to compete with the big teams in this league."
Arsenal responded to their demoralising Europa League semi-final exit to Villarreal last week with a 3-1 win against West Brom on Sunday to retain a mathematical chance of playing European football next season.
Smith Rowe, 20, scored his first Premier League goal in the victory at the Emirates Stadium and was promptly challenged by Arteta to become one of Europe's best in his No 10 role.
Meanwhile, when asked for his response to the Arsenal fans who are doubting his ability to oversee an upturn in results next season, Arteta said: "The only way I can prove that is by having a team that performs on the pitch and makes them proud. That's the only thing that I can do.
"The only thing I can be judged on is do I create the necessary environment for a top, elite team to compete at the higher level and get everybody in the condition to do their best?
"And after that, do I get the best out of the players that I have? The maximum, whatever the level is, do I get the best out of that?
"This is how I judge myself and at the end, in the outside world, how I am going to be judged is just with results, nothing else."
Arteta refused to disclose any specific targets for his summer rebuild, but insisted there were no plans to re-sign a former Arsenal player after reports the club were considering a move for Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Reflecting on the changes to his playing squad, he added: "We have already had an incredible amount of changes throughout the club in the last year or so. More than ever.
"We are looking to improve and we are looking to be much closer than where we are at the moment. In order to do that there are certain things that we have to improve.
"A lot of changes to make and a lot of them have been made. Now it is time to evolve and to evolve you have to take things once they are a little bit more settled and established to take them to the next level."
Arsenal visit Champions League and FA Cup finalists Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the league on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
"They have been the best team in the league in the last few months," Arteta said.
"What Thomas (Tuchel) has been able to do since he arrived has been exceptional. He has put a team in two finals."
Paul Merson says Arsenal need a long-term plan that needs to start right now if they are to have any chance of turning around the club's fortunes in the future.
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