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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has urged new sporting director Andrea Berta to “get his book out” and make decisive moves in the summer transfer window, insisting the Gunners are just “three or four players” away from winning major trophies.
Arsenal’s Champions League hopes were dashed on Wednesday night despite a valiant second-leg performance against Paris Saint-Germain. The French champions advanced to the final with a 3-1 aggregate victory, extinguishing the north London club’s dreams of European glory for another season.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was instrumental in PSG’s success, producing a string of outstanding saves to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Ødegaard, while Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in Paris. Although Bukayo Saka’s strike gave Arsenal hope after Achraf Hakimi’s goal, Luis Enrique’s side ultimately held firm to secure a final showdown with Inter Milan.
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The defeat capped another trophyless campaign for Arsenal, who were eliminated from the FA Cup and Carabao Cup by Manchester United and Newcastle respectively, while Liverpool clinched the Premier League title last month. Since taking charge, Mikel Arteta’s only major silverware remains the 2019/20 FA Cup, aside from two Community Shield wins.
Andrea Berta (Image credit: Getty Images)Speaking on the Wrighty’s House podcast after the PSG loss, a visibly emotional Wright expressed his pride in the team’s resilience but acknowledged that PSG deserved to progress.
“I’m genuinely gutted, devastated for Mikel,” Wright said. “With all those injuries, we still found the strength to drag ourselves to this level. In the end, over the two legs, you have to say PSG deserved it. The goalkeeper was brilliant, and they took their chances. I am so proud of the boys because I know what it means to the fans and everyone involved.”
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Wright called on fans to maintain unwavering support for Arteta despite the latest setback, expressing confidence that Arsenal are on the cusp of success—provided they strengthen the squad this summer.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (Image credit: Getty Images)“We could finish second three times, but we’ve done that with a team Mikel’s had to build from scratch, moving players on and getting the club and fans united again,” Wright said. “Now, as Arsenal fans, we have to double down on our support for the manager and the team.”
Highlighting the lack of squad depth, Wright pointed to the semi-final defeat as a reminder of Arsenal’s recruitment needs.
“We were down to the bare bones. We literally couldn’t bring anyone off the bench to change that game in the Champions League semi-final,” he added. “That’s the only criticism I have in terms of recruitment, and that’s why I’m hoping Andrea Berta has got his book out and is ready to go because we are just three or four players away from winning the league and the Champions League.”
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