Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta shares unique reason behind Gunners contract decisions
Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal's young guns are desperate to fill their "empty tummies" with trophies.
The Spaniard is adamant his title-chasing stars have justified the flurry of bumper contract extensions dished out by Edu in the past 12 months and their collective hunger is fueling the club's bid to end the 20-year wait for a Premier League title.
Arteta said: "We know with those players, their tummies are still very empty - because they haven’t won a lot and they want to improve. That’s part of the reason why we wanted to renew because we know this is something that could be motivating to them and that gives them reassurance.
“It's also an incentive to continue doing what they’re doing. That’s not going to stop them from being willing to be better and to improve because they are still so young and have so much to do.”
Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's form previously nosedived after the pair signed new lucrative deals but Arteta's relentless standards and the club's burning desire to win trophies has helped ensure players keep both feet firmly on the ground after putting pen to paper.
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Bukayo Saka is spearheading Arsenal's pursuit of glory having struck eight times in his past seven top-flight outings ahead of tomorrow's trip to Sheffield United. The England international now has 16 goals and 13 assists to his name in all competitions - bettering both of his final tallies from last season.
Arteta said in response to those that had doubted the 22-year-old during a recent barren run that saw him score just once in 11 Premier League appearances: “Players have moments. You can analyse just the attacking stats or the goals or assists. Then you make the judgement because of that, that’s it.
“But his overall play, contribution and the way he was affecting the game was still really high. Is he now being more efficient? The answer is yes. The impact he’s had in the last seven or eight games has been really good. I’m really happy to have a player in form.”
Bukayo Saka is in red-hot form for Arsenal (Julian Finney/Getty Images)Arteta also spoke out on Manchester City's incredible ability to put together a season-defining run of wins that could leave Arsenal helpless.
He said: "That’s something we cannot control. We just have to win our games. That is why they have won so many leagues. At the start of the season when you plan what you need to win the Premier League, you think you might need 98 points, 100 points. Nobody else has done that in the history of the league. That’s the challenge."
The Arsenal boss will attempt to stamp out any fears of complacency ahead of the trip to Bramall Lane by citing the gut-wrenching 3-3 draw with Southampton last April. It was a result that proved terminal for their title aspirations and with a crunch showdown with Manchester City on the horizon - Arsenal cannot afford to lose further ground on their rivals.
Arsenal dropped two crucial points last season after a hectic 3-3 draw with Southampton (Getty Images)"Southampton was a big one," recalled Arteta. "We were still top in that period. Then there was the result that came afterwards [lost 4-1 to City]. We will touch base but you have to see how they train every day and what the talk was after Newcastle. They all said the same. Now we have Sheffield, it’s a big match for us and they are ready for it.
"I think we are where we deserve to be but we could probably be a little bit better in terms of the points that we have deserved in the league.
"But to do it consecutively for two seasons, apart from being in the Champions League that is another step that makes the challenge more difficult alongside the amount of injuries that we've had, I think we are doing good but we want to do better that's for sure."
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