Arsenal star said to be 'fighting for his future' - even after 51 appearances last season,Arteta is thinking of selling him

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta knows that competition for places is a key attribute of any title-chasing team.

The Gunners spent the transfer window looking to add quality options to a team that has finished runners-up to Manchester City in each of the past two seasons, spending more than £100million in an effort to find the missing pieces of a title-winning jigsaw.