THE rumour mill is already raging, but Mikel Arteta insists his number one goal this summer will be to make the talent that he already has at his disposal even better.

From West Ham midfielder Declan Rice to Real Valladolid defender Ivan Fresneda, Arsenal have already been linked to a wealth of new talent as they prepare to build a squad capable of tackling the demands of both the Premier League and the Champions League next season.

There are expectations that the Gunners will spend in excess of £200million adding some much-needed strength in depth to their ranks. But the buzzwords making it onto Arteta’s whiteboard are very much “cohesion” and “complacency”.

“I’m really interested to understand, reflect and analyse what we have in the house, the resources we have already and how we can improve, how we can maximise and take players to a different level,” said the Arsenal boss.

“We don’t want to lose that cohesion that exists around the team.

“I think we have some great foundations. In sport you have to prove it again, you have to be back first day in pre-season, and I don’t want to see any complacency.

“We’re going to have to be much better next season. It’s going to be a challenging season but a season with plenty of opportunities and one of those opportunities is to be consistent and do it again and do it better, and this is what we have to demand for each other.”

There are two summer sagas that Arteta and sporting director Edu will want to shut down as quickly as possible.

One is the pursuit of Rice, with a number of clubs set to rival Arsenal for the West Ham star’s signature.

It was reported this week that German giants Bayern Munich are putting together a £90m-plus-player deal for the 24-year-old England international.

For now, at least, Arsenal are thought to remain favourites to land the player, and are waiting to register their interest after West Ham’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina on Wednesday night.

Saga number two that the Gunners will be desperate to resolve is sorting out a new contract for William Saliba. Arsenal fans will have been worried this week by rumours that a new deal is still some way off.

The French defender has become a pivotal player for Arteta, and the pressure is on to get business done with a number of clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, said to be monitoring developments.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have no intention of letting Emile Smith Rowe leave the club this summer, despite an injury-hit season spent on the sidelines. The 22-year-old, who was called up to England’s Under-21s squad this summer for the European Championships, did not start a single Premier League game for the Gunners this term as he battled his way back to full fitness following groin surgery.