Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the club expects to make new signings in the coming weeks, insisting that the Premier League champions will not rest on their laurels as they prepare to defend their first English top-flight title in 22 years.

The north London club has been linked with Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes and Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr, but Arteta refused to comment on those reports following Arsenal's 4-1 friendly win over La Liga side Girona on Saturday.

"We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously," the Spaniard said. "We want to get better like anybody else, and you can just see the transfer market and our opponents, what we are doing. We won't sit still, and we are very ambitious with what we are doing."

Arteta emphasized the need to increase internal competition: "The margins are very small because we want to get better and the level is going to increase. We need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don't have in the team."

Arsenal have been relatively quiet in the transfer market compared with big-spending rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Chelsea. The Gunners have signed goalkeeper Illan Meslier and forward Christos Tzolis, while defender Piero Hincapie has joined permanently after a loan spell.

Tzolis scored on his debut as Arsenal cruised past Girona, with Kai Havertz, Max Dowman, and Gabriel Jesus also finding the net. The club's ambition remains clear as they aim to compete at the highest level.

Source: www.aljazeera.com