The North London club won their first Premier League title in 22 years last season but have never managed to retain it.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been active in the summer transfer window but are clearly looking to add quality rather than quantity.
Bruno Guimaraes arrived from Newcastle for a reported £75 million, and Christos Tzolis came in from Belgian side Club Brugge to add depth on the left wing.
Arsenal had also been in the running to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, but he ultimately opted to join rivals Chelsea for £117 million.
Most notably, however, they were also keen on signing Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid. It was an ambitious plan, and the Brazilian ultimately decided to sign a new deal with the Spanish giants.
Asked about the club being linked with elite players, Garlick told Sky Sports: “It’s players that are going to take Arsenal forward.
“In the past we’ve looked at players that maybe helped build out the squad or get us to a certain level, but now we’re competing right at the top level, and we do need to bring in players that are going to change the dial.
“That might be younger players that come into your squad and give them time to develop, and you’ve seen that in the last couple of years at Arsenal, and if we’re able to combine those players that are coming through the academy with some of the best players in the world then we’ve got every chance of maintaining that success and going beyond what we’ve already achieved.”