Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood has criticised Arsenal over their spending this summer.
The Gunners have been bold in the market this year, signing Ben White for as much as £50million, Aaron Ramsdale for £24million and Martin Odegaard for £30million.
They are hoping those signings will allow them to push on from last season having finished eighth and missed out on European football for the first time in 25 years.
But according to former Tottenham boss Sherwood, Arsenal still haven’t significantly improved their squad, despite those additions, and their best players remain those players who came through their academy.
“No, I don’t think they really improve them,” Sherwood told Sky Sports via Metro of the new signings. “You can ask the Arsenal fans out there and I’m sure they’ll tell you the same.
“They’re the biggest spenders so far this summer in the Premier League. Are they optimistic about the future of the club this season? The answer is no.
“They make these signings and year after year who are their best signings? Smith Rowe, Saka and the academy boys who are coming through.”
Sherwood also criticised the decision to allow Joe Willock to rejoin Newcastle United, this time permanently, on a £25million deal having impressed for the Magpies during his loan spell last season.
He added: “You look at Joe Willock who they’ve sold to Newcastle, a goalscoring midfielder should be still at the football club.”
MORE: Mikel Arteta opens up on Granit Xhaka transfer saga
Arsenal got off to a disappointing start in their Premier League campaign, losing to newly promoted Brentford, but it is hoped the additions of Odegaard and Ramsdale will help them improve quickly.
Though, they do face Champions League winners Chelsea this weekend, and so most expect their season to have started with two defeats from two by the time this week is over.
What a surprise. Another Tottenham old boy piles on with unjustified criticism of Arsenal. Come back in a year and tell me that all the activity they have done has not improved the side: in the short term, and especially in the medium and long term. Arsenal finally has more promising young players who will contribute more as years go by and who will continue to hold their value.
There is very little chance Arteta will be let go, since ownership has now mandated him and Edu to construct a side that can play in the style they prefer. They are allowing this since they saw in the last 2/3 of last season how good a manager Arteta was: over that period, Arsenal had the second-best record in the league, after only Man City. Too bad the media are too addicted to their own prejudices, and to the desire to provide their audience with a juicy illusion of its own superiority, to actually notice the facts.
The inside-story video program that is being made will have a strong story line: Arsenal may well lose all three of these first matches, but then will end up in the Champions League at the end of the year, as players and staff ignore the craziness in the media and steadily work their way up the table.
Transfer main failure IS not replacing Arteta again & yet