Unai Emery says he wants players who can transform his Arsenal team in the 2019/20 season, and have the same effect on the Gunners as Virgil van Dijk has had on Liverpool.
The Dutchman is the leading candidate to be this season’s PFA Player of the Year having marshaled Liverpool’s defence throughout a campaign which sees them top of the Premier League table and through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The Reds paid £75million to sign Van Dijk from Southampton in January last year, and Emery suggested that he’d like to see the Gunners spend big on players to improve his side over the summer.
“I think we can improve first, by spending money to achieve players,” said the Spaniard, via Goal.com .
(Image: EMPICS Sport)
“In the past the club have done great work in watching players, finding and signing young players and developing our players in the academy.
“I have big respect for our work, for our players in the academy. I want to develop the players here – giving them progress to achieve something at a big club like we are.
“We can also achieve [buy] some players who are in other teams, who can come here and give us this performance – like Van Dijk with Liverpool .”
Emery added that he is also committed to developing the players the Gunners currently have.
(Image: Dan Mullan)
“We can share both situations. Developing players with us and [finding] some players who we can spend money on to help us,” he continued.
“I think we are in the right way with the club, with the owner, with Raul Sanllehi [head of football] to find that. To fight against the teams with more money the us, maybe Manchester City maybe Real Madrid .
“Arsenal is great. Our objective is to be with the best teams in the world.”
