00:00 Hello, Mikael. Thanks for your time. Three outs in the last week. Flo, Kieran, Nuno
00:29 today?
00:30 We're working together to find the best possible solutions. We found them and I think the players
00:40 are happy and the club in general. I think we did some good business as well.
00:44 With Balogun it's obviously a permanent deal and a good deal as well because pure profit,
00:50 an academy graduate and I think a 17.5% salon clause as well.
00:56 We didn't have enough space for him in the squad to give him the minutes that he needs
01:00 and he did really well last year in his long period and he's evolving the right way. He
01:06 wanted as well the chance to continue developing his career. He's going to a really good club.
01:11 They have huge experience in developing talent as everybody knows. So really happy for him
01:16 as well.
01:17 It's deadline day. Are you as excited as the rest of us?
01:22 You should be tired. You've been doing that for many months. I think it's the end at least
01:28 here in the UK. Not everywhere but at least here. Let's finish it in the right way.
01:33 Mikael, Arteta deadline day. MADD. Is it going to be a MADD one or a Serene one for you?
01:41 For me Serene. I don't have to do much more work. It's more the recruitment, everyone,
01:45 the boys trying to finalise a few things.
01:48 Can you bear with us if I play a little game of stay or go?
02:00 In what sense? Police coming in you mean? I don't expect anyone to come in.
02:04 Stay or go. Rub holding. Stay or go.
02:07 I'm not going to reply anything.
02:10 So it's not stay or go, it's no?
02:13 There is nobody else coming in. We don't expect. That's all I can say.
02:17 So it's not stay or go. Obviously not staying with you in this international break but going
02:22 on England duty. Eddie, are you pleased for him?
02:25 So pleased. If someone deserves in this squad that's him as well. An academy player that
02:30 had some moments when his pathway wasn't very clear and he had to fight it through. I just
02:38 love his mentality, his work rate, how much he loves this game and how hard he's fought
02:44 to be recognised at that level in this country to play there. You have to be phenomenal at
02:49 something and I'm so happy for him.
02:52 Do you take personal pride in the part you've played?
02:55 I think everybody that's been involved in his development obviously feels extremely
03:00 proud to be part of that journey with him. Everybody that was here at the academy with
03:04 him, everybody that has been in that journey, his family for sure they're extremely proud
03:09 of him. So really nice moment for him.
03:11 Manchester United, always a big game. How important is it that you put down a marker
03:16 this early in the season with a victory?
03:19 Well that's what we want obviously. We know the history between the two clubs and the
03:23 games that we had in the past as well. Last year was a really good example. So it's going
03:27 to be an extremely competitive match, really a big battle on Sunday and obviously we want
03:34 to come away from that with three points.
03:37 How much do you view this meeting as an early indicator of both clubs' credentials for Premier
03:50 League title?
03:51 I don't know. I think it's that early in the season. We all want to win games, we all
03:56 want to play the best possible way and that is not going to dictate but obviously give
04:01 you momentum and give you belief. Before the international break it's always very important
04:06 to finish well, to win your game and go back now in September with another block of games
04:12 before the next one with a high.
04:14 Both league fixtures last season between you and United were pretty gripping. I think nine
04:19 goals scores between you. What is it about this encounter that makes it such a high scoring
04:23 fixture?
04:24 Well first of all the quality of the players. Obviously there are a lot of offensive top
04:29 players in the two teams and probably the approach of both teams, the way they want
04:36 to play. There were some errors as well there in both which hopefully we can eradicate as
04:42 well but normally it's a very entertaining match.
04:45 You remain unbeaten after three games, seven points from nine, a return only vetted by
04:51 Man City so far. You spoke though of your frustration at points lost in Saturday's
04:55 draw against Fulham. How much do you feel that last season's title challenge has raised
05:00 expectation around the club's ambitions this season for yourself personally and also for
05:04 your fans?
05:05 We raise the level in everything that we do every single year and we have to demand each
05:09 other more and better and this is what we do. When you see the reaction when you draw
05:14 a match I think it's a great indicator of where you want to be and the demands that
05:18 you put to yourself.
05:20 You've been fairly experimental in your line-ups and your open games so far compared to last
05:27 season at least. How happy are you with the effect that those changes have had on your
05:31 team as a whole and how happy are you with your players?
05:35 Really happy. I said against Fulham after watching the game twice that we played ten
05:39 times better. I don't know if it was six or ten but we definitely played six or ten times
05:44 much better but this is about results and one thing is to play really well and the other
05:48 is to compete really well. What we didn't do is we had to compete in certain moments
05:53 the best possible way to do that. But play ten times better. I reaffirm you again.
05:59 What is it about this formation that you played last week and this defence that you like so
06:06 much that makes you play ten times better?
06:09 What formation is it?
06:10 You're at the fore at the back, Partey at right back, you've got Benwick, Gabriel and
06:14 then Kiriuk at left back. What did you like so much about that?
06:18 I think we discuss formations in a different way. The other day there were 36 different
06:25 formations in the match. Against Manchester City 43. So I don't know what formation we
06:33 talk about. For me it's something very different. Maybe for the eyes that you look.
06:37 But I think a lot of people look at the teams you've picked and say the back four you picked
06:46 last season were so successful.
06:47 Ah, the personnel is different.
06:48 Is there a chance you could revert back to that for the Man United game on Sunday?
06:54 I played differently against Manchester City and there were 43 different structures in
06:59 different phases. Every morning I come from my house to Colney. Sometimes I leave at six
07:07 and I need to go to the windscreen because it's icy. At six o'clock normally I go to
07:12 Finsbury Road and then A41 because it's faster. Now Finsbury Road is 20 miles an hour so sometimes
07:17 I take a back door. But then I go on M25. But depending if it's a school ride at that
07:23 time I take one exit. If it's after seven o'clock I take a different exit and then I
07:29 go. And one day I have a flat tyre, what do I do? I have to replace it. Maybe I take a
07:33 different road because the garage is there. So every game is a different story, guys.
07:38 Different story.
07:39 In that case then, are you tempted to play the side that was so successful for you last
07:45 season?
07:46 I cannot do that. I have different players. I cannot do that. Chichengo was injured, Granit
07:53 is not here, how can I do that? Unless we bring them back I think it's not going to
07:58 happen. It's different and it's going to be different. And the others are going to be
08:01 different because it's a different season and this is the beauty of it. The beauty of
08:06 the thing that I enjoy the most. That is new and we can still do much, much better a lot
08:10 of things. Let's do that.
08:12 Will Chichengo be back for Sunday? Because he's so critical to the way you play.
08:18 Chichengo is a really important player for us. Like it was Jurien. What Jurien was giving
08:23 us in the first few games was incredible. But he wasn't there so we have to do something
08:27 else. And we have another injury, we're going to have to do something else. And if Bukayo
08:32 is not there, we're going to have to do something else. So the N25 won't be good enough. Maybe
08:35 we take another one. But if I speak to a taxi driver that has learned the whole of London
08:41 for 20 years, I know nothing compared to him because he will tell me all the streets and
08:46 options and the best times.
08:47 N25 is very bad at the moment by the way.
08:50 I know. Depending on what time though. I'm telling you, at 6am it's ok. At 6am take
08:56 it. It's the fastest way.
08:58 Ben White has been over Ben White's win over Gareth Southgate?
09:09 Ben has been incredible since the start of the season again. Obviously we know that he
09:15 was there and what happened is totally down to Southgate and him to make that decision
09:23 that call whenever it is necessary. But he certainly has the level and I think he's proven
09:27 that over the last few years.
09:28 Will Emile Smith-Rose be in the transfer window?
09:37 They're all like everybody else. Just to try to give his best to make the team better.
09:43 What are your thoughts on the Champions League draw?
09:47 It was first of all great to see that. I was there with my kids waiting for it. They were
09:51 betting on it and it was great fun. It's what it is. We don't have any say on that.
09:57 Some beautiful games to play. Some very difficult matches to play as well. Very looking forward
10:02 to start that journey.
10:03 Does it make you even more excited for the Champions League?
10:11 For sure. We were waiting for it. You just want to understand who you're playing and
10:14 once we get the pictures and the date even more so we can start really preparing for
10:19 those games.
10:20 Is that a competition you think Arsenal can win this year?
10:23 We are participating so we have a chance. But let's start with the first game and see
10:28 what we get.
10:29 When Timber got injured there was an expectation from the outside righty or wrongly that you
10:37 would go into the market and maybe sign another defender. Now you're saying you're not expecting
10:41 anyone else to come in. What happened? Did you not find the right player? Did you decide
10:47 you've got the options internally?
10:49 We've done quite a lot and obviously we have a lot of uncertainty with a lot of players
10:53 as well so we have to be very cautious and find alternatives and ways. Not sometimes
11:01 that you want to do everything that is needed. Sometimes it's not possible and we have to
11:04 adapt.
11:05 So was it a case then that had you been able to get players out?
11:08 Yeah, we cannot go and buy another three players and if somebody gets injured long term do
11:13 something else. It was just not possible.
11:16 United signed Rasmus Hoyland for a lot of money in the summer. He's not played in England
11:22 yet. How much do you know about him?
11:25 I prefer not to speak about players of his league. He's a huge talent and everybody is
11:29 talking really highly of him and he will have to prove that in this league.
11:33 How unpredictable is it to face United when you don't know where they are playing with
11:39 that big money?
11:41 I don't know. Like any other club they will try to get their squad at the highest level
11:46 and have all the different qualities that they need to challenge for all the trophies
11:51 and I'm sure that's what they're trying to do.
11:53 Is it even more difficult for you to make that decision at the top?
12:08 No, I don't see it that way. I just see right there and I see a player that at the end is
12:19 something that has happened for a reason and the reason is the way he pushes everybody,
12:23 the way he pushes himself every single day to be as best as he possibly can and that's
12:28 the headache that he gives us every single day.
12:30 I said it when I didn't play against Man City, why he did it and I'm sure that everybody
12:35 he's been with, when he's been with United 18, 19, 21, 23, the senior team is going to
12:40 be doing the same with every manager.
12:42 Have you had any conversations with Emile Mbappé since he's come back from such a successful
12:47 England under 21 years, just to say this is my plan for you this season, this is what
12:51 I need for you and the squad or is it letting him get on with it on the training ground?
12:55 No, obviously I had conversations with him and it's important for him to understand where
12:59 he is and it was always going to be tricky the first three or four weeks, not for us
13:03 but for all the clubs and you see all the rumours and all the players that are not playing
13:07 that are unhappy and not only in this country but in every country because it's one game
13:11 per week for a month and everybody is going with a new season with huge aspirations and
13:17 there is no minutes for everybody and September will be very different.
13:21 Can every professional footballer do that or when you recruit do you have to look for
13:31 players that can take those things on board?
13:34 Every player has to do it, unconsciously it's possible. But every player has to do it. Some
13:40 of them do it consciously and unconsciously provoking the right thing, making the right
13:44 decision and others just do it naturally and they are in the wrong position a lot. But
13:49 that happens in the game, that's a fact. It's like your battery life is two hours, two and
13:53 a half hours. In football there are that many structures that happen in a football match.
13:58 Is that changed in the modern game or were you a player that would have to do a similar
14:02 thing when you played?
14:03 Depends a lot on the position. Against Man City they were more because they changed formation
14:07 more so it's a lot of sequences of play that permitted more structures. So it was different.
14:13 Ok we'll now go on to 10.30pm tonight.
14:15 That finishes the live section.
14:18 [click]
14:20 [click]
14:23 [click]
14:27 [click]
14:29 [click]
14:31 [click]
14:33 [click]
14:35 [click]
14:37 [click]
14:39 [click]
14:41 [click]
14:43 [click]
14:45 [click]
