Arsenal fans often hear about how Mikel Arteta has modernised football after ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title. Yet his attitude towards changing the narrative on substitutes—seeing them in a more positive light—may just explain his next move in the transfer market for the Gunners.

The Spaniard has fostered a culture at the Emirates Stadium that breeds togetherness and maximum effort, whether his players feature for 90 minutes or just a few seconds on the pitch. The demands are clear, and those who aren’t up to the standard are quickly removed from his inner circle of trusted lieutenants. Arteta often talks about ‘finishers’ and ‘impacters’, players who are effectively brought on from the bench to either help see out the result or change the outcome of the game.

They are there to do a job no matter how long they spend on the pitch, and in his eyes, it’s just as important as those who are handed starts. After beating Sporting Lisbon 1-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Arteta made a point of highlighting the impact of players from the bench.

“It’s been the story of the season, how important the finishers have been for us, to achieve what we want,” he said. “And today, all of them – Gabi [Martinelli] came on and made a huge impact; Kai [Havertz] the same; Max [Dowman] the same. So we really need that, and we’re really happy with that.”

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