Mikel Arteta has revealed the crucial trait he looks for in a transfer target and the two players any new signing must gel with in the Arsenal dressing room.
As they continue to try and end their more than 20-year wait for the Premier League title, the Gunners have made a number of high-profile signings in recent years.
They scooped England midfielder Declan Rice in a £105million deal a couple of years ago, in the same transfer window they splashed out more than £60m on rival Chelsea forward Kai Havertz.
And the club’s big spending certainly hasn’t stopped this summer, with Arteta notably bolstering his squad with Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, Noni Madueke from Chelsea and the highly-sought after Viktor Gyokeres.
But despite the undoubted quality on the pitch of Arsenal’s glitzy new additions, Arteta revealed this week that a good personality is the most important trait he looks for in a player.
He made the surprising revelation while speaking at the announcement of his new role as Under Armour’s global ambassador this week, saying: ‘Personality (is the most important trait). Without that, you have no chance. You have to look at somebody’s eyes.
Mikel Arteta has revealed the most important trait he looks for in a new signing
The Gunners have bolstered their squad this summer with the signings of Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke, as well as Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi
‘When I go to sign a player, sometimes it’s on Zoom and I open the laptop. It’s the first impression.
‘Is this guy ready to put that jersey on, work in that dressing room and take all the noise that us surrounding his signing and deal with it in the right way?
‘And then we go to the qualities and how this player is going to relate to other people because at the end, this player is going to have to glide into the dressing room. So, you have to imagine this personality and in this position and how they are going to connect with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.’
The Gunners are gearing up for the start of their Premier League campaign on Sunday, when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford in an important game for both managers.
After a dire first season at the helm, Ruben Amorim will be hoping to start his second term strongly after bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo and most recently Benjamin Sesko.
While Arteta will be looking to live up to fans’ expectations of a trophy this season after plugging the hole up-front which blighted the Gunners last season with Viktor Gyokeres.
But Amorim is more likely than most managers to be able to stop the powerful Swede having managed him at Sporting Lisbon.
Indeed, in quotes which recirculated this week, back in March 2024 the Portuguese coach gave a brutal assessment of Gyokeres’ game, highlighting a major flaw.
The Arsenal manager said it’s crucial new signings gel with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice
Ruben Amorim managed Gyokeres during their time at Sporting Lisbon together
‘There’s a lot Gyokeres needs to improve on,’ Amorim had said in the aftermath of Sporting crashing out of the Europa League to Atalanta by virtue of a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
‘He plays the same way against a slow or a fast centre-back. Everything he does in the Portuguese First Division, he does against Atalanta.
‘He can still improve his understanding of the game. He still lacks defensive reaction, and all coaches look at that.’
Gyokeres will no-doubt be looking to get his Arsenal career off to a bang on Sunday with a goal against his former boss’s new side.
