Arsenal rebuilt with Champions League in mind, Arteta says - ESPN

Manager Mikel Arteta said Arsenal's summer rebuild will help them compete once again for the Premier League title but that it was also done with a return to the Champions League in mind for the Gunners.

Arsenal topped the table in England's top flight for much of last season, but Arteta's side could not hold off his former boss Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the closing weeks of the season and finished second behind the eventual treble winners.

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Despite the disappointment of not winning the domestic title, Arsenal secured a spot in the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season — a reality that necessitated some major changes to the squad.

«It will be more difficult for sure, because the league is going to go to a different level again, which is already incredible,» said Arteta, who spoke with ESPN in Washington, D.C., ahead of his team's game against the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday. «And obviously playing the Champions League, which we haven't played in many years at the club.

»That's why we need a different squad from what we had last year, I think what we've done this summer is related to that, and more quality as well, for sure."

The two biggest additions for Arsenal this summer were midfielder Declan Rice and attacker Kai Havertz. Arteta was effusive in his praise of both Rice, who signed from West Ham for a record fee, and Havertz, the former Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen player.

"[Havertz] is a player I have admired for a long time and we had the possibility of bringing him to the club. We had a few chats about how he was feeling about it, and I was convinced he was the player