Mikel Arteta has opened up on his summer recruitment plans as he attempts to continue his rebuilding job at Arsenal.
The Gunners advanced to the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday, but they are currently 10th in the Premier League table.
The north Londoners have not finished that low since 1992/93, although they could move up to ninth by avoiding defeat by West Ham on Sunday.
Arsenal still have plenty to play for this term, and a win at the London Stadium would see them climb to within seven points of the top four.
But Arteta is already beginning to look beyond the current campaign and towards what could be a busy summer at the Emirates Stadium.
"We are planning everything for the summer, the same with the board, with [chief executive] Vinai [Venkatesham], with [non-executive director] Tim [Lewis], and with the owners," he told Sky Sports.
“We are very clear on how we want to do it. When you have to change 10 or 12 things in one window [as in January] it's a lot, and that has some consequences with what has happened in previous months and what is going to happen in the following months.
“We still have to do quite a lot of things to do, but we will get to the point, hopefully, where it's just ticking off a few things and the stability is there, because you need that as well to be consistent and be competitive.”
Yet while Arteta is keen to strengthen this squad, he also wants to ensure the pathway from academy to first team is not blocked.
Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have both excelled this season, and the Arsenal boss wants other youngsters to follow in their footsteps.
"It's about doing things in the right moments, when they can shine, when they [are] protected and when they have the right players around them as well," he added.
“It's not about playing all the young players in every game, but we are putting a plan together, so they have space around the squad, space in the team, and we have the right flow between the players so they can become really important at the club. That path is being created.”
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