RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Martin Keown: Keep the kids and Arsenal have everything to retain title and finally win Champions League
Martin Keown believes Arsenal have assembled a squad capable of going after the Premier League title and the Champions League after finally ending their 22-year wait to become English champions.
The Arsenal legend says Mikel Arteta’s next challenge is to ensure last season’s success becomes the beginning of a period of sustained success rather than the culmination of the project.
“I hope the club can build on that,” Keown said.
He believes the first priority after winning the title was to retain the core of the squad that delivered it, something he remembers Arsene Wenger placing huge importance on after Arsenal’s successes in the 1990s.
“You secure the futures of those players, and then you build upon that,” Keown said.
Arsenal have already strengthened with the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes, while Keown believes the return to fitness of Kai Havertz could prove just as important as any new signing.
The German missed large parts of last season but has now enjoyed a full pre-season.
“We were without Havertz for large periods of the season,” Keown said.
“He’s now back doing a good pre-season. So we’ve got an extra player in the front position.”
Keown does not believe Arsenal necessarily need to make major additions before the transfer window closes, despite continued speculation over another striker and the club’s interest in players such as Vinicius Junior.
“You’ve won it already and you’ve got to the final,” he said, referring to Arsenal’s Premier League success and Champions League run.”
The defensive options are another reason for his optimism, although Keown believes the right-back position could still require attention if Jurrien Timber is not ready and Ben White continues to struggle with injuries.
He was particularly impressed by Cristhian Mosquera during pre-season and believes the emergence of younger players gives Arteta further options.
“There are a lot of guys in there,” he said.
The former defender also believes Arsenal must resist the temptation to sacrifice their home-grown talent for financial reasons.
With Ethan Nwaneri, Max Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Marli Salmon and other young players coming through, Keown wants the club to preserve the identity of a squad increasingly shaped by players who have grown up within Arsenal’s system.
“You don’t want to see the core players leave, the club is running through their veins,” he said, pointing particularly to Bukayo Saka.
Keown also believes the pressure of defending the Premier League title could actually benefit Arsenal.
Last season, he felt the team sometimes appeared weighed down by the expectation surrounding their pursuit of the championship.
Now, having finally delivered, he wants to see them play without fear.
“They should be confident and really go after their opponents and not try to defend it, try and go and win it again.”
And while Arsenal have never lifted the Champions League, Keown does not believe Arteta needs to choose between domestic and European glory.
“You don’t pick and choose,” he said.
For Keown, the message to Arsenal’s players is simple: winning the Premier League should not satisfy them.
He remembers returning to Arsenal after France’s 1998 World Cup triumph and telling Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit that their medals meant nothing once the new season began.
“What matters now is that you win again this year,” he said.
He believes the same mentality must now drive Arteta’s champions.
“These guys are at the beginning of their careers,” Keown said. “There’s still plenty ahead of them to go and do it all again.”
Martin Keown is part of the TNT football team this season. With the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Emirates FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup ALL in one place. There’s levels to this. TNT Sports.
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