Arsene Wenger spent much of last season in the limelight due to an ongoing saga surrounding his future as Arsenal manager. The Frenchman finally penned a two-year deal to keep him a the Emirates, but he has admitted that it was a 'mistake' to let speculation mount.
'For me it [this season] will be a change because [speculation over my future] was a bit eternal, a repetition of the press conferences about that. Maybe I made a mistake and allowed that to happen because I didn't commit early enough', Wenger told Arsenal Player.
'I think at some stage I did not think it would be a handicap for my commitment and it was not. But it was a bit of a handicap because it created a climate of insecurity and a lack of clarity about my person that maybe did not help at some stage'.
Wenger has worked hard in the transfer window to try and get Arsenal back among the best of Europe, bringing in transfer targets as well as waving off other teams' attempts to snatch Arsenal stars.
'There are two ways to strengthen the squad', he added. 'The first is to analyse where we have not done so well and where we can improve together, and the other way is to bring in players from outside'.
The Gunners transfer activity has not necessarily come to an end though: 'We are still open to strengthening our team with players coming from outside', Wenger confirmed.
'We are very active on the transfer market and have already realised two incomings. We have to keep a balance as well, that you don't destabilise the team too much by bringing in too many players. But we are still active on the transfer market so let's see what kind of opportunities we can find', he concluded.