Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted the club may have to make difficult decisions over the futures of some long-serving players, insisting that such conversations must be handled with “real honesty and transparency”.
Arteta addressed the issue on Thursday ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Coventry City, saying the club had a responsibility to make football decisions even when they could be difficult for players who have been at the club for a long time.
“It’s a really, really tough moment, you need to face that reality.
“But you need to face it with real honesty and transparency because when you are on the other side, that’s exactly what you need.
“You might not like what you’ve been told, but if it’s truthful, if it’s the reality, if it’s honest and it’s going to help you to make better decisions and have more clarity for the next steps in your career, you have to do that,” the coach said in a club statement on its website.
