London, Jul 3 (IANS): Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta stated the rest of the teams are playing catch-up with top two teams in the land, namely Liverpool and Manchester City, so the summer transfer window will be crucial not just for them but others as well.
Liverpool won the league with record seven matches to spare while Manchester City smashed four goals past them recently to secure a statement victory after giving Jurgen Klopp's men the guard of honour.
Arteta feels their recruitment for next season has to be on point if they are to challenge the likes of Liverpool and City, who according to the Spaniard are a notch higher that the rest.
He also spoke about the dogfight between teams for Champions League qualification. Leicester City (55), Chelsea (54), Manchester United (52) and Wolves (52) are currently engaged in a thrilling battle to secure a place in next year's showpiece event. Arsenal, meanwhile, are placed at eight spot on the table.
"The margin for error is very, very small. The gap between the two top teams and the rest is really, really big and everybody is trying to catch up," Arteta was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
"The competition is between six, seven, eight, maybe even nine clubs now to fight for those positions, so we have to be very smart and we have to be very decisive when we make our decisions."
Arsenal have already done few decent pieces of business under Arteta. The Gunners recently handed a contract extension to defender David Luiz while Bukayo Saka, the talented 18-year-old winger/full-back, ended speculations over his future by signing a four-year deal.
Arteta's biggest concern, however, will be tying down club captain and star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a long-term contract. He has been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium in recent times.
"I know that the situation that we have at the club and the context that we are in, but the club know my plan," Arteta said.
"In January, the situation was that we had to fill some gaps and give some stability to the squad. Now is the moment to make another step forward and improve the squad and the players that we have."