Mikel Arteta responds to claim he will be overruled on Benjamin Sesko transfer

Mikel Arteta has opened up on his relationship with new Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta amid speculation they are at odds over several key transfer targets.

After missing out on the Premier League title for a third season in a row, the Gunners are expected to spend heavily in the summer window.

Having resisted the temptation to add a new forward to their ranks in January, a new striker looks to be the No.1 priority.

Arsenal came close to signing RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko 12 months ago before he opted to sign a new contract and Arteta is thought to be a huge admirer.

Alexander Isak is the dream target, but Newcastle have little need to sell, especially now they appear guaranteed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Berta, who joined Arsenal as Edu’s replacement earlier this year, meanwhile, is thought to be pushing his new club to make a move for Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Asked ahead of Sunday’s match with Newcastle, Arteta was asked about how the dynamic is working between him and Berta andhe said: ‘Very good, they’re two very completely different personalities, characters and backgrounds.

‘But he’s someone who’s very driven and very clear in his ideas, vision and how we want to achieve it, and very supportive of everything that’s been done here, with a lot of people who have contributed massively to the position that we are today as a club.

‘The squad that we have, the players and the staff that we have, and he’s ready to add value and make us better. That’s the reason why we’ve chosen him to be here with us.’

Pressed on whether the two men are fully alligned on which players to target, he said: #On what we have to do, yes. On what we can do, I don’t know. I think sometimes from the plan that we had, and actually what we’re able to execute, we’ve never been able to replicate it exactly.

‘This is football, it happens to every football club, that’s why we plan certain ways and okay, if we cannot do it, we do something else.

‘I think the aim is clear but then you have to just do it slowly, thing by thing and start to achieve it.

‘A big part of that as well is keeping and making sure that the players that are here are happy, they feel valued and they are willing to continue with us. That’s very, very important.’

On the consequences of potentially not all being on the same page, he added: ‘If that happens that means that we cannot explain ourselves well enough and we are not clear enough on what we want, and I guarantee you that hasn’t happened.

‘It didn’t happen in five-and-a-half years with Edu and I guarantee you [the same] with Andrea. They are good to say: “Mikel, look this and this is what we need,” and I say go for it and do it.

‘If not it’s because I will ask that many questions and we will do so much work that it will be so evident that this is what we don’t have to do, it’s not going to fit.

‘We have learned a lot, some of them that have worked really well and others not and that’s for the ones as well that we have to learn so well to make sure that we make the right calls but we are all human beings and fortunately nobody’s got a crystal ball here!’