Paul Merson says there's something truly 'frightening' that Arsenal are now doing 'all the time'

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Arsenal have successfully navigated through a difficult run of fixtures and set some solid foundations upon which to build over the coming months.

After the international break, the Gunners returned to action with victory in the North London derby before picking up a point at Atalanta in the Champions League.

Then came the Premier League trip to Manchester City, which ended in Arsenal returning to N5 with a point and very nearly winning against the reigning champions.

Arsenal have made great progress with each passing season since Mikel Arteta took the reins and now look like they could finally break Man City’s monopoly on the title.

Highbury legend Paul Merson has now spoken about what Arsenal are now getting right “all the time” in their pursuit of glory.

Paul Merson says Arsenal recruitment is now spot-on

Merson, writing on Sky Sports, says the Gunners “do their homework now” when it comes to bringing in the right players.

Arsenal famously struggled for a number of years when it came to player recruitment and retention, either losing top players to rivals for very little money, or getting stuck with struggling players on huge contracts.

However, this is no longer an issue at Arsenal, and Merson reckons Arteta and Edu are now similar as a duo to Arsene Wenger and David Dein.

“Arsenal do their homework now,” wrote Merson. “A lot of clubs don’t get their recruitment right but Arsenal are getting theirs right all the time.

“Edu is the equivalent to David Dein now at the club. When Arsene Wenger had Dein by his side, the quality of player they had coming in was frightening. You can reel the names off for fun and it’s the same at the club now with Edu.

“There just seems to be a togetherness with Edu and Arteta that is working for the club. They’re singing off the same hymn sheet and that is helped by their Premier League experience.

“They know what they are looking for in a player to come in and play in the Premier League because it’s a hard league, a relentless league

“Every game is a hard game and there are no gimmes. So, week in, week out, you have to have something about you as a player and Edu, who needs to take a lot of credit, and Arteta know that.”

READ MORE: Michael Owen shares why he was really unhappy with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after Man City draw

Arsenal recruitment now the envy of the Premier League

There was a time when Arsenal’s recruitment and retention was a laughing stock, with plenty of top players’ contracts being allowed to run down.

This led to the likes of Robin van Persie, Jack Wilshere and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain leaving for cut-price fees, while Aaron Ramsey ended up leaving on a free.

Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both penned big-money deals ahead of their contracts expiring.

And then there was the Alexis Sanchez case, in which the Gunners reportedly turned down £60million for him six months ahead of effectively swapping him for Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Now, Arsenal have not only recruited well, but contract talks are taking place well before they head into the final 12 months, which is a dangerous position to be in.

The Gunners’ recruitment is now the envy of the Premier League and the club will be eager to keep this up, having been stung time and time again in the recent past.