MIKEL ARTETA has revealed what Arsenal need to do to win the Premier League title next season – and how he plans to do it.
The Gunners are in pole position to secure fourth place and Champions League qualification heading into the final two months of the campaign.
But they are still a long way off challenging Manchester City and Liverpool for the title – sitting 19 points adrift of the top of the table prior to Saturday’s action.
And Arteta has highlighted the need for more goals in order to push the team on to bigger things.
He said: “To be with the top teams this season you need to score 90 to 100 goals at least.
“Somehow you need those goals in the team. Don’t ask me how, but you need them. They have to come.
.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}WEIGHT IS OVER .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}
All you need to know as Hall prepares to face Thor in ‘heaviest fight ever’
“That contribution, how it’s done and how possible it is to happen, you have to find the right pieces to do it. But it’s a non-negotiable.
“If you look at the history of [successful] football teams, they always have that.
“You look at the Barcelona team that won six titles – they scored 100 goals for three years. If you don’t need that then you need to have 30 clean sheets.
“In the last 11 games, if we can score 11 goals and concede zero we’re going to win 11 games. Or we can score 35 and concede, and we’re still going to have 33 points. But in a very different way.”
Arsenal have scored 43 goals in 27 Prem matches so far this season – the fewest netted by any of the top seven.
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left in January and striker Alexandre Lacazette is out of contract in the summer.
And Arteta is aware they need to do transfer business in the summer, opening up specifically what he hopes to achieve.
He added: “There are certain things that we have to achieve in the summer that are not always especially age-related, but things we want to add to the squad.
“There are a lot of topics that are very important and we have to find the right piece.
“When we find that player, maybe the top priority won’t be the age in that position. Maybe in another one, yes. So we’ll have to get that right.”
Arsenal face Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime as they look to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Liverpool.