Arsenal have strengthened their squad this summer, bringing in Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna, while they’ve made David Raya’s loan permanent as they prepare for their first top-flight fixture against Gary O’Neil’s side on Saturday.
Calafiori moved to the Emirates in a deal worth £42m and Arteta has very much fallen head over heels for the 22-year-old, who can play centre-back or left-back.
‘I fell in love with him,’ Arteta told Sky Sports. ‘I watched him a year ago. I saw something different – an aura, a charisma, a presence that was not only related to his skill.
‘We started to follow him and we saw a player – he was 21 at the time – that was doing things and reacting to things in a way a 21-year-old normally doesn’t.
‘He had a really difficult past as well, a difficult knee injury, the way he reacted to that.
‘When I met him, I said, ‘For sure’ – he was so convinced, he only wanted to come to Arsenal, he only wanted to play for us, so I’m really happy to have him!’
Quizzed about what his Arsenal side need to do to win the Premier League this season, Arteta added: ‘Every year, it’s going to be harder.
‘So we have to be better and set new standards, if we do that, we are going to give ourselves a good chance.’