Arteta admits he has to bridge the gap between club and fans

Mikel Arteta admits one of the most important things to do at Arsenal right now is to bridge the gap between the fans and club. This is especially as Granit Xhaka looks set to leave.

“Look, I will say it frankly and honestly, we are in agreement with Hertha BSC and would like to go to Berlin,” Xhaka’s agent, José Noguera, told the Swiss publication Blick. “We told Arsenal’s [head of football] Raul Sanllehi and sports director Edu as well as the new coach Mikel Arteta. Arsenal were informed about all the steps, the player and Hertha are clear. It is only the transfer fee for the clubs.”

“Hopefully we can change it,” Arteta said when asked about negativity among the fan base. “First I need to convince the players and then, if I can convince the players, afterwards we can convince the fans. I think it’s very, very important in my job. At the end of the day they’re expecting a lot from us. We have to give them enjoyment, we have to make their lives better and, when we win, it will be better because they will be happier. It’s our responsibility and we have to do everything we can to achieve that.”

“I was really pleased with how the fans treated the players [against Bournemouth] and I was happy that the players went to see the fans after the game as well because we need that connection. Slowly, we need to build that back to where it was. It’s going to be very powerful for us to use that.”

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