Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta says he has ‘100 percent support’ of owner Stan Kroenke and that fans must believe him

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta saw his side lose 1-0 to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Tuesday night and then had to urge supporters to stand in unison with the club ownership.

A plane was flown over Villa Park during the first half, bearing a banner with the message “Back Arteta, Kroenke Out”.

It comes amid apparent discontent that the new boss won’t be given significant funds in the summer transfer market to begin his rebuild, as Arsenal and other clubs deal with the far-reaching consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

But when asked about the banner at full-time, Arteta was adamant that he had the full backing of the club hierarchy, telling supporters to trust in his words on owner Stan Kroenke.

“No, no, with Kroenke and the board and the sporting director, I feel full backing with them,” he told Sky Sports.

“What we don’t know is a lot of [financial impact] things and we have to wait a little bit of time. But backing and support, 100 percent.

“The fans have to believe what I’m saying because, otherwise, I would not say that.”

On the match itself, Arteta acknowledged his team were below par after recent wins over Liverpool and Manchester City and cited the drain on his players caused by those high-profile games.

“I think they gave absolutely everything. You could see how aggressive they were, but you could see we lacked a little freshness. We struggled for quality and creativity and it’s something we have to improve.

“It can be fatigue, emotionally and physically it has been a big week. But I can see it’s a team which tried and we know we need to Improve. We need a bit more time. We have to make the gap smaller, really quickly.”

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