Arsenal vs. Coventry: Mikel Arteta reveals how he aims to build "best" club in world as Premier League opener assessed

Mikel Arteta has revealed that he wants to make Arsenal the best club in the world by making the right additions in the transfer market.

The Gunners' Premier League title defence will get underway on Friday, when they welcome newly-promoted Coventry City to the Emirates.

Expectations are high amongst the fanbase, especially as the club also reached the Champions League final in May, when they missed out on being crowned European champions due to their penalty shootout defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking ahead of the game against Coventry, Arteta insisted that his next goal was to establish Arsenal as the best club in the world, telling Sky Sports: "It's certainly the ambition of the club and the owners to be the best club in the world.

"In order to do that, you need the best facilities, the best stadium, the best supporters, and you need the best squad and the best players in the world.

"Those are the ones that win you football matches and the ones that can be decisive when it matters. That's what we try to build with the actual players that we have, and with the players that we want to sign to make the difference for Arsenal."

Arteta has now been at Arsenal since December 2019, and he has won one FA Cup and one Premier League title, so more silverware will be needed if he is to achieve his stated goal.

Arsenal vs. Coventry: Why Premier League opener is crucial

After beating Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield, a commanding victory in matchweek one would send another message to the rest of the division that the Gunners are the team to beat.

Many view Arsenal as the favourites for the title, and starting quickly in spite of injuries to the likes of William Saliba and Jurrien Timber could be demoralising to potential challengers.

The 2026-27 season also represents a fantastic opportunity to establish an era of dominance considering Pep Guardiola has left Man City.

Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United all have managers that have been in place for less than a year, and they are all likely to take time to settle.

Victories in the early stages of the campaign could leave Arsenal clear of the chasing pack, and that may help make the Gunners the number one destination in England for prospective signings in the years to come.

Arsenal transfer news: What else does Mikel Arteta need?

The transfer window will close on September 1, and the Gunners are thought to still be in the hunt for an extra defender, as well as a marquee forward.

Arsenal do have incredible depth at the back, so the priority in the remainder of the window should be to bring in an attacker, though there have been few credible links.

If there was a chance that the Gunners could hijack Liverpool target Bradley Barcola from PSG, then that should be explored, but a more realistic target may be Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen.