Press conference

Every word from Mikel’s pre-Forest presser

A variety of topics were covered in Mikel Arteta’s penultimate pre-match press conference of the 2022/23 season.

Our boss was asked about Aaron Ramsdale’s new contract, the latest on Alex Zinchenko and Gabriel Martinelli’s injuries, how the team can further improve next season and plenty more.

Read on for a full transcript:

on Ramsdale’s new contract - and if Saka and Odegaard will follow suit…

We are delighted with the news for Aaron. He fully deserves that new contract, that extension, and obviously we want to keep our talent at the club and build on that. There are a few more that are very relevant for us to continue with that relationship and we are working on that.

on the latest on Zinchenko and Martinelli…

They are both out for the rest of the season.

on how long their recovery process will take…

It’s different. Gabi’s is a pretty nasty injury. We need to assess next week how long he will be out for, but it will be weeks at least. With Alex, it’s a calf issue. He won’t be available to play in the next few games.

on the reaction in the squad to the Brighton defeat…

Obviously a very difficult one to swallow, especially the way it happened in the last 25 minutes of the game. At first, when it was much more competitive, we should have taken advantage of many more situations that we had in the game. It was tough, but at the end, in the following days we discussed where we are, what we’ve done, the remaining two games, what the possibilities are there, what’s in our hands and what we can deliver. We want to continue to be at the level we’ve been at for 10 months.

on Steve Cooper’s job at Nottingham Forest - and the club sticking with him during a difficult time…

Brilliant - they made so many changes and I’m sure he found it very difficult with the amount of signings they had. The club was patient, especially with the way they performed the year before and what they’ve done in the league. Maintaining that belief and that unity around the place, big credit to him for what he’s done with the team.

on what it means to be nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Season award…

It’s great - obviously a huge privilege. There are top, top managers in this division and to be part of that is always really nice.

on there being more positives than negatives this season - and conveying that to the players…

I just tried to paint the picture. We can look at the picture with a really narrow and thin vision, or we can have perspective of where we were, where we are today and what we’ve done. We cannot lose sight of what’s happened in certain moments where we weren’t at our best or at the level required to be the champions or be in the position we are in today. We have to acknowledge that as well. Obviously the team, the players, everyone around the club deserves huge credit for how far we’ve come in the season. But don’t forget there are still two very important games for us to play.

on if Arsenal will go into 2023/24 as title contenders…

We have shown this season, and we are still there with two games to go. We can still be champions, against probably the best team in the history of the Premier League, for 10 months and we are still there with two games to go. We’re not going to bottle that, that’s for sure. What happens next season will depend a lot on what we do, how we evolve and how we start. That prediction is very difficult to make today.

on if Man City need to win the treble to prove they are the best team in the history of the Premier League…

I said arguably that they are [with] where they are competing in their competition and what they’ve done in the Champions League semi-final. But as well it shows the level of this league - that team has the capacity to get 105 or 110 points. They haven’t done it this season because of the level of the league. We’ve been there with them, toe to toe, for 10 months.

on if he hopes the squad will grow together and build identity over a number of years…

We have built that core and that foundation. There’s a lot of quality, a lot of youth, a lot of enthusiasm, but as well surrounded by a lot of good people with the right experience, with a lot of leadership around them. We have to continue to do that because the demands, the expectations, the challenges next season will be even higher. We cannot get confused of where we are today and have a lot of clarity for how we’re going to get where we want [to be] in the next seasons.

on whether he will use the pain of this season as motivation for the next…

I don’t know what pain - it depends on what the pain is. There are lots of moments to be extremely pleased with what we’ve done. Let’s see where we finish in the next two games. Pain is part of football - when you don’t win, when you don’t perform at your level, it has to hurt. It has to hurt the right way and you have to use that pain to become better and to find answers and solutions that can help you win more. This is what we’re trying to do every single day.

on the importance of good recruitment over summer…

When you get closer to the top, the margins are smaller. What makes you win or lose is minimal - and it changes. It’s a penalty that goes in or out and then the season changes in that moment. It’s having three or four injuries or having a fully-fit squad in the key moments defines the season. What we have ahead of us next summer is extremely important and we have to absolutely nail it.

on speculation about Granit Xhaka’s future and the need for clarity around the situation…

The clarity is he’s a player that has played [nearly] every minute since I’ve been the manager. He’s an incredibly respected figure at the club. He has a great story around him with what he has achieved at the club, going through very tough moments. He’s a key and very important part of [our squad]. Whatever happens is something we certainly won’t discuss now.

on whether the squad today could cope with both Premier League and Champions League football…

Today? At the level that we want, no. We didn’t have the capacity to do that with the Europa League. It’s part of that evolution. We have made a lot of good steps, strong steps in that journey. We have to continue. That never ends. We have to be better. The rest will be better. The demands will be higher. We have to start and live with those standards, improve and be smarter. That doesn’t just mean signing players. It’s to improve our players. There are players we haven’t had the best out of this season. It’s our job to improve them because there are a few players who haven’t had the minutes or the performances and we have to seek for those players to give us a different edge. It’s not only about signing players. It’s about resources, staff and improving certain things that can be done better, more efficiently or smarter.

on Saliba’s future….

We are trying. We are having conversations and we are trying to maintain the talent we have at the club. These things take time. There are different parties involved and I think everybody’s intention is the same. Hopefully we will find the right solution.

on increasing the level without losing the foundations…

It’s continuing to do 80 per cent of the things we are doing really well and just trying to win margins and find improvements and ways to be better in other areas. Whether it’s improving players, whether it’s improving processes, improving with recruitment. We have certain margins that are very important for us to get to another level.