Mikel Arteta has seen Arsenal transfer wish granted after Declan Rice comments

Mikel Arteta openly expressed Arsenal's need to bolster his squad, and it seems his transfer desires were indeed met by the club's top brass.

Barely a fortnight after the summer transfer window closed, the Gunners splashed out approximately £250million on fresh faces, marking the fourth-largest expenditure in Europe.

Following a third successive season of finishing second in the Premier Leagueand a fifth consecutive year without any trophies, the Spanish manager knew that new recruits were essential if the club was to make the final leap in their development.

READ MORE: Bukayo Saka responds as decision made amid nervous Arsenal injury wait

READ MORE: Enzo Maresca already has £18.5m Chelsea solution after latest Moises Caicedo injury update

It was following their 1-0 victory over Newcastlelast season, securing their spot in the Champions League, that Arteta voiced his trust in his superiors and their plans to strengthen his team through substantial investment.

When questioned about whether he felt he had the backing of the board, the Gunners' gaffer confidently responded: "Yeah, but that's not something new. They always backed the team, the club in the best possible way.

"They're not going to be different in the summer. We have to be very smart with the decisions that we take. Obviously we need players because the squad is really short and on top of that we are losing four or five players that are going to end their contracts and their loans are finished," reports the Mirror.

"We need to be sharp, very disciplined in what we want to do and make sure we are stronger next season. I mean, the plan is done, and the time will be dictated by many parties, many circumstances that unfortunately we don't control."

Arteta expressed complete confidence in the club's hierarchy whilst acknowledging the significance of retaining their established core, evidenced by fresh deals handed to Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly during the summer window.

"But we have great people in charge of that, and they're going to be leading that with the board and ownership," he continued. "And as well, make sure that the ones that we have, they feel valued, they feel loved, and we make sure that they want to continue with us in the right manner.

"And then the whole environment is excited. That is not just about if we make it, because we cannot start a season like that. And I want to feel that from day one, and I'm going to be very insistent on that."

The Arsenal manager wasn't alone in demanding summer reinforcements, with his sentiments mirrored by Declan Rice following their Champions League semi-final elimination at the hands of eventual champions PSG.

The England midfielder stated: "Hopefully, we strengthen in the summer, sign more players because we are probably gonna lose a few as well." Whilst the departures of Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, Jorginho and Takehiro Tomiyasu on free transfers, the Gunners brought in eight fresh faces to the Emirates.

Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madeuke, Martin Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie have all joined the squad in recent months, with Arteta significantly enhancing his team's depth.

Three matches into the new season, Arsenal are currently third but have already stumbled in the title race, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool before the international break. Nonetheless, Arteta will be expecting a strong comeback from his team when they host Nottingham Forest, managed by Ange Postecoglou, this Saturday.