Following a bit of a dreary transfer window, Mikel Arteta has said that he thinks the remaining squad members can finish the season strongly.

We let quite a few players go in the January window including the transfer window trophy-winning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who left on a free to join Barcelona.

Aubameyang confirmed that he’d fallen out with Arteta, making excuses for his bad behaviour which cost him his Arsenal career, but Arteta stood strong and kicked him out of the club.

We are just back now from our winter warm-weather jolly up in Dubai, and Arteta explained the thought behind the trip:

“We had a break of 2 weeks and thought of the best way to maximise it, and felt the best way was to stay together for a week or so in a different environment, but with clear objectives for this week. Not only physically but mentally, it’s been a tough season and a tough few years. We have 17 games to finish, how we are going to do it and what we want to achieve in those games.

The third one was about building the unity and the spirit that is in the group and that has to be maintained. There’s no better way to do it not only with the players but as well with the families because they are a big part of what we do and we need them on board to keep pushing every day…”

Arteta managed to shift a few players during the window as well as Aubameyang, including Ainsley Maitland Niles, Pablo Mari, Sead Kolasninc, Karl Hein, Calum Chambers and no doubt some others I’ve forgotten.

Next up ON the pitch, we travel to Wolves on Thursday for our first game since we played Burnley 9 weeks ago.