Mikel Arteta praises "big belief" in Arsenal squad

Arsenal are gearing up for another season chasing Premier League glory, following three consecutive 2nd place finishes under Mikel Arteta.

With new additions Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera and Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Gunners have significantly strengthened their squad. Fans will be hoping Gyokeres is the answer to Arsenal's goal scoring problem, with many pundits believing the lack of firepower in the forward line is what has held the club back in recent seasons.

With a tough opening weekend fixture away at old foes Manchester United, Arsenal continue their pre-season preparation by hosting Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao in the Emirates Cup.

🏟️ Last time out at Emirates Stadium...

Declan Rice scored this beauty against Newcastle United 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KnSOLiZKzb

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 6, 2025

Speaking ahead of the Villarreal game, Mikel Arteta praised the quality of his squad.

“These new arrivals all add quality and depth to the squad, which is what we are going to need throughout the season ahead,” Arteta wrote in his programme notes.

“We know what our targets are and what we want to achieve this season – there is a big belief in our ability to achieve that.

“We have been very, very close the last few seasons and the whole team is going to determine whether we achieve that or not.

“But at the same time, we have to make sure that we don’t lose sight of what we have to do on a daily basis to get to the levels that we want.

“We have to set the demands that we want within this goal, because that’s the most important thing – the internal demands have to always exceed any external demand. That is what we are trying to achieve every single day.”