Mikel Arteta has been lauded for conducting Arsenal’s shrewd transfer business this summer in the wake of Sunday’s 3-0 Community Shield win over Manchester City.
The reigning Premier League champions made a statement of intent at the Millennium Stadium, vanquishing a new-look City who looked a shadow of their former selves with Enzo Maresca at the helm.
Arteta handed first competitive starts to his two headline recruits, Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, and both made positive impressions against the FA Cup holders.
The former Newcastle captain slotted in perfectly alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, while winger Christos Tzolis registered two assists during a lively display that almost certainly cemented his place in the starting XI for Friday night’s game against Coventry City.
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Eyebrows have been raised over the course at the summer at Arsenal’s patient approach in the market, with many expecting the club to have spent lavishly, bolstering a squad that finished seven points ahead of their closest challengers last term.
Instead, Arsenal refused to match Aston Villa’s £117million valuation of Morgan Rogers and appear similarly reluctant to get into a bidding war with Liverpool for PSG’s Bradley Barcola.
The ultimately failed pursuit of Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior did represent a sign of Arsenal’s ambition but for now Arteta’s former teammate, Kieran Gibbs, is more than satisfied with how his old club have gone about their business.
He told ESPNFC: ‘Some really, really good business from them so far in the window and it’s not always easy when you’re the reigning champions. You’re more attractive for players but your standards have gone up.
‘What you’re buying has to not only keep the standard but improve it. With these two signings we’re clearly seeing at the moment that it’s definitely working out.
‘Guimaraes has added aggression and a progressive passer. Then you have Tzolis who is just effective and an efficiency monster, I love how he always looks to hurt the opposition.
‘It’s two great additions and I think they’re going to keep going into the market.’
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Tzolis has effectively taken the place of one of Arteta’s most trusted foot soldiers in Leandro Trossard who, after making a huge impact in his three-and-a-half years in north London, was granted a move to Besiktas.
While the Belgium international will no doubt be missed, the £34million recruit from Club Brugge looks to be a natural replacement.
‘I think he’s coming to the team really organically; he’s fitting, he’s a really intelligent boy and he has a massive quality which is when he’s in the last 20-30 metres,’ said Arteta.
‘He’s so composed to pick people out around the box or to finish actions, and he’s shown that again two or three times and he was decisive.
‘You put him in more and more situations so the volume is higher with the level of quality he has, the numbers will be higher.
‘He’s so eager to learn, to improve, to practise, and it’s not a coincidence; he’s a really consistent player in everything that he does. I’m really impressed with him.’