Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says the Gunners will not "sit still" and are looking to bolster squad competition with "ambitious" transfer plans this summer.

The Spaniard led the London club to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season and is aiming to "improve and evolve" his squad as they aim to defend their crown.

Arsenal have added goalkeeper Illan Meslier and forward Christos Tzolis to their ranks this summer, while turning defender Piero Hincapie's loan move into a permanent switch.

They are expected to sign Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, while the Gunners have also been linked with a move for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr.

"We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously," said Arteta after his side's 4-1 pre-season win over Girona.

"We want to get better like anybody else, and you can see the transfer market and our opponents... We won't sit still and we are very ambitious with what we are doing.

"The margins are very small. Because we want to get better and the level is going to increase. We need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don't have in the team."

Arsenal will play Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, 16 August before starting their 2026-27 campaign at home to Premier League newcomers Coventry City on Friday, 21 August.

Tzolis showed Arsenal fans a glimpse of what may be to come as he scored on his first Gunners appearance in their opening pre-season win over Girona.

Signed to replace Leandro Trossard after his transfer to Besiktas, the Greece international made the switch to north London in a £34m transfer from Belgian side Club Brugge.

Tzolis, 24, skipped beyond Arnau Martinez before firing a low effort into the bottom of the net via the help of a slight deflection in the 30th minute.

But it was German forward Kai Havertz who slotted Arteta's side into the lead 14 minutes earlier.

Sixteen-year-old Max Dowman threaded a fine pass through for Havertz to calmly finish when one-on-one with Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

Four minutes after the break, Martinez climbed highest from the Girona corner to halve the deficit before Dowman reinstated Arsenal's two-goal lead three minutes later.

The flurry of goals was not over there as Gabriel Jesus made it three goals in five minutes to fire the Gunners into a 4-1 lead.

Arteta named a strong starting XI in Spain with Viktor Gyokeres, Havertz and Hincapie each playing 30 minutes after their return from the World Cup.

Arsenal will travel to Dublin for their second pre-season game when they take on Real Betis at the Aviva Stadium on 5 August.