Jack Wilshere has backed Mikel Arteta’s call for Arsenal to spend big this summer, saying the arrival of some of the names linked in the media would give the club a real lift.

The England midfielder became the second player in as many days to call for new faces, as he told the Guardian, “Everyone talks about the names at the training ground. We’re saying: ‘You heard about this player or that player? It would give everyone such a massive lift.”

Yesterday, Arteta urged the club to show their ambition in the transfer market, saying it was ‘about time’ that Arsenal spent the money available to them to improve the squad.

With Wilshere now backing that up, the pressure is beginning to mount on Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis to improve the squad. All the stories linking the Gunners with Luis Suarez cloud the fact that Arsenal need more than just a striker to launch and maintain a real assault on silverware next season.

Jack also spoke about his own fitness, saying he’s hopeful that a good pre-season will see him get through the next campaign and start to the fulfill the potential everybody knows he has.

“There are no long-term injury issues at all for me,” he said. “They took the screws out, which was causing me a problem. I just want to have a good pre-season.

“I haven’t had one for two years and it’s like you’re always playing catch-up. Steve Bould said to me that you should never take a good pre-season for granted. It gives you a level of fitness.

“it. I need a good pre-season. The first game against Aston Villa will be a massive target for me. I’ll be ready and then play as much as possible.”

Hopefully alongside a clutch of new signings too. Fingers crossed.