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Arsenal have kicked off their pre-season with a tour of Singapore and Hong Kong, bringing with them a palpable sense of excitement. A 30-man squad — fresh from a training camp in sunny La Manga — has made the journey to Asia, including new signings Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, and Christian Nørgaard.
Describing the team’s preparations ahead of the new season, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta said, “(We are) very excited about the new season. We already had a very good week in Spain, training really hard with the new signings. There is a really good connection between all of us. And now, again, we are super excited to be here.”
Despite their training session ahead of Wednesday’s (July 23) clash against AC Milan being cancelled due to a heavy downpour on Monday morning, Arteta was upbeat.
“We weren’t able to train today, so we have to adapt to those situations as well. (But we are) very excited to have a very successful tour,” he added.
The London-based team were last in the city-state in 2018 for the International Champions Cup, where they faced Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, and Arteta captained the side that won the Premier League Asia Trophy in 2015 in the National Stadium.
“It’s a great story. Ten years ago, I probably wasn’t expecting to be seated where I am. A lot has happened. I have great memories from the time that we had here 10 years ago. So hopefully we can replicate that and train in the manner that we want. I think commercially as well, to send the messages and (build) the connection we want with the supporters. And we have to perform in the matches and win the games,” Arteta said.
Together with sporting director Andrea Berta, Arteta’s side has brought in a raft of new signings early on in the window, with Noni Madueke already a part of the roster, just missing out on the Asian tour due to his participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.
“With Noni, I’m very, very excited. You have seen the reaction of all the players, especially the ones who know him very well. He needs a little bit of a break now, but he will be with us soon and showing what he can bring to the team,” Arteta said.
He also shared insight into their second signing of the window, Spain international Martin Zubimendi, who they picked up from Real Sociedad on July 6 in a deal reportedly worth around £55 million (S$95.6 million).
“It was a long process, he had a lot of opportunities to decide whether he wanted to come. And the good news is that this club is amazing, and everybody wants to come to it, and he gave up some very good opportunities to come to us. And we are all very impressed about what we have seen in the last seven to ten days because once you have the player daily there and you see his character, his personality, his intelligence and how much he’s going to bring to the team. We are very excited about it.”
But when quizzed on the rumours of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze swirling around the Arsenal camp, the manager remained typically tight-lipped.
He did offer a slight clue on the club’s intentions to secure further reinforcements.
“There’s still a long time in the window, and we are still looking. In terms of numbers, we are short, and we have to improve the depth and the quality of the squad. And we are constantly looking in the market. But till that happens, I will focus on the play that we have and work with them. And I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen so far in the first 10 to 15 days,” Arteta explained.
With title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City continuing to bolster their squads in the off-season, Arteta was pleased by some of the early business the club has done.
“Ideally, you wanted to make one signing in preseason. So I think we’ve done very, very well so far. I’m very pleased with the way the club is supporting the necessities and the improvements that we require in the team. I think Andrea and the team have done an excellent job as well, trying to push everything forward.”
“There are a lot of parties and a lot of things that we have to bear in mind to get a player over the line. But, I’m very hopeful that we’re going to do it very soon.”
Asked whether there was any stress in getting multiple deals over the line, Arteta firmly dismissed the notion, describing the process as an exciting one.
“I think the moment you see the club’s ambition, the alignment we have with everyone on the board, and the excitement around the new season, it’s all super positive.”
And fans in Singapore can share that same excitement as they descend upon the National Stadium to catch a new-look Arsenal squad that has been overhauled since their last visit seven years ago.
“The supporters here are very passionate. And I think they are very excited to see the team. They haven’t seen the team for a while… We have the opportunity in all our activations to immerse ourselves in the culture, try to understand the way the fans feel about us and make them proud. That’s our objective.”
Following their opener against Milan, Arsenal will have an open training session on Friday (July 25) and their final match in Singapore against Newcastle United on Sunday (July 27) before they jet off to Hong Kong.
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