BBC pundit Nigel Reo-Coker has now warned Arsenal that they risk being viewed as a ‘massive failure’ if Mikel Arteta does not win a trophy after their huge transfer spend.
The Emirates Stadium club are among the biggest spenders throughout Europe this summer. Stan Kroenke, Arsenal’s owner, signed off on mega-money transfers to bring Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and club-record signing Declan Rice to the Gunners to improve Arteta’s team.
Kroenke broke the chequebook out earlier in the summer to offer Arteta the best chance of taking Arsenal to a title. Havertz quit Chelsea for up to £67.5m on June 28, Timber left Ajax for up to £38.5m on July 14 and West Ham United also sold Rice for up to £105m on July 15.
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Kroenke backed Arsenal in the transfer window to win titles
Arsenal moved to offer Arteta better options in his defence and midfield after they finished the 2022/23 Premier League season in second. The Gunners spent 248 days atop the table. But Manchester City edged them in the end as the north Londoners’ struggled near the end.
A back injury for William Saliba destroyed Arsenal’s defensive structure. While Arteta failed to maintain the Gunners’ strength in midfield after Thomas Partey’s form fell off a cliff. Now, though, Arsenal have one of the – if not the – best holding midfielders in the division in Rice.
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Now, expectations are high that Arsenal will again rival Manchester City to win the Premier League title. Arteta has also taken the Gunners back into the Champions League for the first time since 2016/17. They are also two seasons removed of winning their last FA Cup trophy.
BBC pundit Reo-Coker sends Arteta a trophy warning
Reo-Coker believes that Arteta and Arsenal must now handle the added pressures of being Premier League title contenders as the money spent on Havertz, Timber and Rice’s transfers will weigh heavy around the Gunners’ neck should they fail to end the season with a trophy.
“Arsenal have to win something this season,” Reo-Coker said on BBC Sports’ Football Daily podcast. If they don’t win something, after £100m spent on one player and strengthening the departments you need to, it would be seen as a massive failure and massive steps back.”