Mikel Arteta has offered his apologies to the travelling Arsenal fans as the Gunners got their new Premier League campaign off to the worst possible start.

It was the first time that Arsenal were backed by their away fans since the start of the coronavirus pandemic but wilted in the face of newly promoted Brentford losing 2-0.

But after a reasonably positive start, the hosts took over and deserved their lead when Sergi Canos fired past Bernd Leno at his near post.

Following the break, the Gunners failed to get a foothold in the game and when Christian Norgaard doubled the Bees’ lead from a set-piece, a comeback always looked unlikely.

 It means Arsenal's make-or-break season under Arteta got off to the worst possible start and with fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea on the way, critics are already beginning to circle.

And the Gunners boss made sure to say sorry to the disappointed Arsenal supporters that were given little to cheer as they returned to the stands for a competitive fixture.

“And after that apologise for the result and we know that we have to improve.

“We have two big games coming up right now and we need a different performance to get a different result.”

The Gunners reportedly would like to sign three more players before the August 31 deadline, including a goalkeeper, an attacking midfielder and a striker.

Asked if that kind of result could accelerate their transfer plans, the Spaniard doubled down on claims that he will focus on the players already at his disposal.

He explained: “My focus is with the players that we have to try to make them play as best as possible and to get the best out of the team and try to find a way to win football matches and it’s the same in the next one.

“We are very clear of what we wanted to do. What our strengths are and where we can improve.

“I don’t think today’s performance shows anything different from what we’ve already seen.”

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were both missing from the Arsenal lineup, but Arteta refused to use that as an excuse for the lacklustre display.

“I don’t want to use any excuses,” he continued. “We had a team that we put out there that are good enough to play the way we want to play and capable of achieving a different result.”