Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken candidly about his astonishment at the scale of spending seen across the transfer market this summer.

The Spaniard, who has been building Arsenal into consistent title contenders over recent seasons, indicated that the sums of money changing hands in the current window have caught him off guard.

Arteta's comments reflect a broader conversation in European football about the relentless inflation of transfer fees, which continue to climb despite wider economic pressures across the sport.

Arsenal themselves have been active in the market as the club pushes to close the gap on the Premier League's elite, though Arteta's candid reaction suggests even those operating at the highest level find the numbers difficult to process.