Mikel Arteta says ‘no regrets’ as Arsenal target second spot in Premier League

LONDON – Mikel Arteta has no regrets over Arsenal’s season, despite missing out on silverware again, and wants to finish as the “best of the rest” in the English Premier League.

The Gunners, who face third-placed Newcastle United at home on May 18, have been the closest challengers to champions Liverpool all season.

But their league form has tailed off in recent weeks, with just one win in their past six games, as they lost both legs of their Champions League semi-final to Paris Saint-Germain.

If Newcastle win at the Emirates they would leapfrog Arsenal into second with a single game remaining, though both clubs are likely to finish in the top five and qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Arteta said his injury-hit team, runners-up to Manchester City for the previous two seasons, had been “phenomenal”.

“You probably have regrets in your life and anything that you do in professional life as well when you haven’t done your best,” said the Spaniard, whose team have gone five years without winning a trophy.

“I can guarantee and give you my word that we have all tried our very best. If you ask if we wanted a different outcome, especially with how close we’ve come again, then the answer is ‘yes’.

“But that doesn’t undermine a lot of incredible things that this team has done again – in the context that we play, against the opposition that we play, with the circumstances that we had.

“It’s impossible to undermine.”

Arteta is anticipating a tough test from in-form Newcastle, who have beaten his side three times this season, once in the league and in both legs of the League Cup semi-finals.

He said it was important to finish as high as possible in the table.

“You have to always be as good as you possibly can,” he said. “The dream of winning the Premier League this season is gone, so as we said, be the best of the rest and feel that pain to be better.

“It’s our chance to wrap up the Champions League, to put ourselves in a really strong position for the second place, and in a way to say thank you again to all of our supporters for the amazing season.”

Looking further ahead, the Arsenal boss is willing to break the club’s transfer budget in a bid to land a star striker to spearhead their Premier League title challenge next season.

Their campaign has been marred by injuries to key forwards Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus.

A new striker is top of Arteta’s wish list with Havertz, who has not played for almost four months, still the club’s top scorer in the league with just nine goals.

Arsenal are believed to have at least £100 million (S$172.5 million) at their disposal for new players and have been linked with RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.

“There are so many variables that can happen but there is a budget,” Arteta said.

“There is always an idea of what we can do, what we can improve, what the priorities are going to be and then let’s see if we can do it.”

Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has warned his players not to get “distracted” ahead of their trip to Arsenal as they chase a Champions League spot.

The Magpies have been buoyant since winning the League Cup final against Liverpool in mid-March, losing just once in eight league games since.

“It’s not done and the picture can change game to game and I think that’s what we’ve got to be really focused on, just our next game and trying to win it, which we will do. The preparation has been good, the focus has been there from the players,” Howe said.

“The outside noise will always be swayed by how you’ve done and it’s positive but nothing is achieved until it’s achieved. So we have to be really single-minded in that and not get distracted.” AFP, REUTERS