Arsenal chief Ivan Gazidis, has admitted that he is “not happy” with the season, but was quick to express his optimism ahead of next term.
The Gunners have not won the league since 2004, but an eight-match winning streak has seen them sit in second place, seven points behind leaders Chelsea.
Arsene Wenger’s men were also eliminated in the second round of the Champions League and Gazidis said it would be tougher to qualify for the competition.
“We are not happy but we are going to keep pushing to the end and see how far we can go,” he said.
“We are happy with the way the squad has developed and we are very focused how we can make a positive end to the season.
“After that it will be a question of how can we progress the team further so that we can have an even better season next year. We have a squad that’s clearly coming together. It’s a relatively young squad so it will continue to improve.”
Gazidis also blamed injuries and other “complex issues” after the 2014 World Cup, for Arsenal’s failure to compete with the very best.
“We had a lot of new players this year who are beginning to gel together,” he added. “We had a lot of injuries at the beginning of the season as well. Also coming off a World Cup year there are a lot of complex issues.
“We were trying to put the jigsaws into the right places at the beginning of the season. I think everyone can see those pieces are now beginning to fit. It gives us great optimism for the future.”
Comments