Mikel Arteta trying to build ‘much better’ Arsenal squad after Vinicius Jr blow

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that he is still trying to build a "much better" squad after Vinicius Junior signed a new deal at Real Madrid on Thursday.

Following a week of rampant speculation, Vinicius opted to stay at Real. Arsenal were frontrunners to sign the Brazilian should a deal not have been agreed, but the Gunners are now exploring the market for other options.

When asked whether fans should expect more additions after pre-season, Arteta said: "Well, that's what we're trying to do.

"It has to be the right player in the market to make us much better. We are very much looking forward to that."

Arsenal were defeated 3-2 by Borussia Dortmund in a preseason friendly on Sunday.

Bruno Guimaraes, the £75 million ($101.2m) signing, who was brought in from Newcastle, was presented to the Emirates Stadium crowd before the loss, but the Gunners still appear short of quality on the left wing, where Vinicius could have made an immediate impact.

Arsenal may also target a defender, however, with William Saliba set to be on the sidelines for an extended period of time due to a back injury sustained during the FIFA World Cup 2026. Arteta's side have conceded three goals in back-to-back friendlies.

"We conceded some poor goals today in the way we competed, especially," Arteta said. "But that's a very collective responsibility. So we need to improve with the players that we have. And we want to improve, for sure, we want that.

"Saliba is in rest mode at the moment for two weeks. He had to do almost nothing, an aggravated injury, so it's going to take some time to heal. We know that. And as soon as we have more news, we can inform you."