Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal's goalscoring form will not affect his summer transfer plans, with the club still expected to search for a new striker.
Arsenal have won all seven Premier League games in 2024 by an aggregate score of 31-3, becoming the first team in English football history to win three consecutive away games by five or more goals.
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Arsenal thrashed Sheffield United 6-0 at Bramall Lane on Monday and have a chance to close the gap on at least one of the top two when they face Brentford on Saturday, 24 hours before Liverpool host Manchester City in Anfield.
The north London club are expected to sign a centre-forward this summer, and Arteta said the recent goal rush has not changed his strategy, which he revealed dates back to the start of the current campaign.
“The plans we have for the summer are very clear,” Arteta said at a press conference on Thursday. “They finished almost at the beginning of the season understanding what we can have, the contractual situations with some players and how we can improve certain areas of the team. This situation does not change that.”
Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for Ivan Toney ahead of the January window, but Brentford valued the 27-year-old at around £80 million ($102 million) and ultimately received no bids.
Sources told ESPN that while Toney remains on their radar, the Gunners have cooled their interest in the England international as they consider other options with Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyökeres and Brighton's Evan Ferguson among the possible alternatives.
Asked if he could rule out a summer move for Toney, Arteta replied: “I'm not talking about any other player. If not, I will have to rule out all the other players on the market because we are linked with a lot of players.”
Aaron Ramsdale will make a rare appearance for Arsenal in goal and David Raya will be ineligible to face his parent club after joining the Gunners on an initial loan with the option to make the move permanent for £27million.
Ramsdale has featured just six times since Raya made the move to London, the last of which was in the FA Cup third round home defeat to Liverpool in January.
“He is fully prepared,” Arteta said. He is training every day. He is desperate to play like the rest of the kids who haven't had as many opportunities. Saturday will be a great opportunity for him.
“He's been brilliant. He's supported me a lot and pushed me in training every day as I expected. It's a joy to have two top-class goalkeepers in the team.”
“One of the hardest things is dealing with players who don't get the playing time they deserve. Not just Aaron, but there are a lot of them. We have an incredible group of players.
“We try to be honest, explain things to them, be close to them and give them support. Then, when they get the opportunity, they want to contribute to the team in the best way possible. That's what Aaron will want to do on Saturday.”
