Arsenal chief eyeing quality signings

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has admitted that the club are eager to sign quality not quantity this summer, and has hailed the arrival of Lukas Podolski.

The Gunners finished third in the Premier League last term and are assured a place in the Champions League group stage, and as such the north London club are eager to strengthen.

“I think the good thing about this summer is that there is more certainty in terms of our Champions League position,” Gazidis told The Guardian.

“We have acted early to get the critical signing in Lukas Podolski. Our fans will be able to see him compete at the Euros and see what a very good player he is.

“The great thing about Lukas is that not only can he contribute goals, but he can also play in different positions so you get tremendous versatility and Arsenal class. He is technically a top-class player and that was a good early addition for us.

“The key for us is not the volume of signings we might make but that the signings we make add something to the squad. That is something Arsene Wenger thinks extremely carefully about and for all of the pressure he is placed under, he tends to make good decisions.

“We want to win major competitions. We want to win the Premier League. We want to compete to win the Champions League. That is our ambition. My message to our fans is that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that Arsenal can challenge for trophies next year.

“That is what this summer is about and that is what we are focused on for next year. We have a good team, we have a good young core of players and we need everybody involved to have belief so that we can push forward into next year and make a run at the Premier League trophy and for the Champions League. We believe we can do that,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight