- 3 months ago
Arteta and Saliba preview Arsenal's champions league clash with Olympiakos
30/09/2025
Emirates Stadium, London, UK
uefa25 champions league
30/09/2025
Emirates Stadium, London, UK
uefa25 champions league
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00OK. Sorry for being late then. Apologies.
00:05Good afternoon everyone. We'll kick off with the live section and then we'll go into a 10.30 tonight.
00:11If you're awake in the room, we'll kick off with Alex from the BBC.
00:14Hello.
00:15It was announced this morning that William Saliba signed a new long-term contract for the club.
00:20How old is that new?
00:21Yes, big news, very happy. Congratulations to Willy, who fully deserves this new contract,
00:28his contribution to the club, to the team has been phenomenal the last few years
00:33and I'm very happy to keep the spine of the team with us.
00:36They say the spine of the team, there are quite a few players in the squad now
00:40who have committed their futures to the club.
00:42For the long term, does that say that most of the players in the squad
00:45believe they can win what they want here at Arsenal?
00:48Yes, first of all, that they feel that they belong to this club
00:51and they feel very attached to it and they share the same ambition with the club.
00:55Obviously, they feel valued, they feel loved here
00:58and they want to continue their careers here, which is great.
01:01It's been a couple of days since the late win over Newcastle.
01:04What has that impact been like on the squad?
01:07Have you seen a difference in the players?
01:09Great energy, obviously.
01:11The moment you go in the dressing room, everybody is celebrating,
01:14especially because the manner and the way it happened.
01:18You have to move on immediately until you know that we have a very tough match tomorrow
01:23against Olympiacos and I'm ready for it.
01:25And heading into that match, is everyone available?
01:28Yes, no surprises in Capier and Anonis still out, so no news, the rest all good.
01:36Martin Odegaard came off the bench out against Newcastle, is he fit to start now?
01:42Yes, it was very good.
01:43He came on and immediately you could see the desire and the responsibility to get in,
01:48to try to change it, his decision-making, the way he approached every ball
01:52and he made a difference to help us win again.
01:55In terms of the Champions League, because you got to the semi-final last year so close,
02:02is there a greater expectation and greater pressure on you this year?
02:07Well, we have the same ambition, which is to go game by game
02:10and try to be better than the opponent, which is very difficult in this competition
02:14and win as many games as we can.
02:16And tomorrow we're going to have a really difficult one.
02:18We know how important the home point is going to be to reach in this phase
02:23where we want to arrive and tomorrow we'll have the opportunity to start well.
02:27Great news about William Saliba.
02:29This used to be a club whereby you felt that players were going into the last year
02:33in their contracts and maybe managers or administrative staff weren't on top of it.
02:39Is that the one thing or one of the things you've changed for the better?
02:43That you can say this is one thing that I really have been successful at?
02:47Well, I don't know.
02:48What I know certainly is that at the end there are two or three parties
02:51that have to come together to an agreement and with the three of them
02:55have the same intention and the same will.
02:58It's easier to get it done.
03:00And in these cases, it's been extremely positive.
03:04Obviously, Andrea, the team and the support that we have from Stan and Josh,
03:09especially, makes this obviously possible and available,
03:13and we are extremely happy to continue this journey with them.
03:16If I could have a bit of fun with you, Arsenal were flying high,
03:19so no surprise to see the RAF story this week.
03:22Firstly, when are they coming in?
03:24Are they coming in to see the RAF?
03:26I think they have to dodge the planes to get in the car park.
03:29Secondly, how have you come up with these ideas?
03:31Because they're very out of the box, they're very left field,
03:36these ideas to improve your players with very different kind of ways of doing it.
03:41Yeah, you're a bit late. That was two years ago.
03:47So the plane is already gone. I don't know where it is at the moment.
03:53OK, we'll go to Dalmish from Sky.
03:55Hey, Mika. Just on William Saliba,
03:59it's going to be clear that some of European football's top clubs
04:03would be interested in a player like that.
04:05Was there any part of you, within entering the final two years of this field,
04:09that was fearful he wouldn't sign?
04:12Probably more than the length of the contract is the will of the player.
04:16You know, because then you can understand,
04:18as I said, some players have a dream,
04:20some of them have been to play in the Premier League,
04:22some of them have been to play in the Premier League for Arsenal,
04:25another one can be to play in a different country for a different club.
04:28So you have to respect that.
04:30I think we've been really, really lucky,
04:32but as well it shows the power of this football club
04:35and how much people love it and want to come here,
04:39that none of that is happening.
04:41Even if they have the possibility to go somewhere else,
04:43they want to remain here.
04:44He signed at Arsenal when he was very young, at 18 years old,
04:48and there were three loan spells early in his Arsenal career.
04:52Were you always convinced that William Saliba was going to become the player
04:57that we see today?
05:01Well, I think it's a great example.
05:03It's to get where you want.
05:05There is not a single pathway.
05:07It can happen in various ways, in various manners,
05:09because when you talk about this pathway, you talk about loans.
05:12Within those loans, there were various reasons to those loans.
05:15There was a big injury as well that kept him for a long period of time
05:19away from football.
05:20Then when he was here, we had another serious injury.
05:23So there's a lot that has happened,
05:25a lot that Willie had to get through,
05:27and the club and myself with him as well,
05:29to get to the point where he is today.
05:32And that's the beauty of it,
05:34that sometimes things don't start the way you expected,
05:36but sometimes it's the best thing that can happen to you
05:39to get where you want to get.
05:41Just a final one for me.
05:43Whenever I hear pundits and journalists talking about Arsenal,
05:47there's obviously a lot of noise outside the club.
05:49And one of the messages this season seems to be,
05:52Arsenal have got no excuses.
05:54They've just got to go out there and do it.
05:56Are you aware of this noise?
05:58Do you pay attention to it?
05:59Or how do you block it out?
06:01Well, I'm aware the moment I step in this chair,
06:05that what I want with this football club
06:07is to win major trophies,
06:08that nobody else has to put a line into us.
06:11That's the ambition, the first day,
06:13and the excuses have never been part of my life.
06:17Thank you. James from CBS.
06:19Hi, Mikael.
06:20I'd just like to take back to your first European tie
06:22as an Arsenal manager,
06:23which I'm sure you remember was against.
06:25Olympia Arcoscombe was quite dramatic.
06:27You have the last-minute goal against you,
06:30the last-minute goal that didn't come,
06:32and then quite dramatic days afterwards as well
06:35and quite significant.
06:37But in that time,
06:38are you thinking,
06:39what on earth do I let myself do for here?
06:42No.
06:43No, but that's the beauty of football as well.
06:45I think I perfectly remember when we scored the goal
06:48and when we considered the equaliser,
06:50the last chance that we had in the last second of the game
06:52as well to go through it.
06:54What happened after that as well,
06:56when Covid and everything hit.
06:58So, yeah, part of the journey as well
07:01to get to where you are.
07:02It's a good example like Willy.
07:03To get where you want,
07:04to get something,
07:05you have to go through moments
07:06that probably you didn't expect to go through.
07:08How did that strange sort of first year in the job
07:12change or help you develop as a manager?
07:14Well, it was a lot obviously to swallow,
07:17coming into a massive club in the middle of the season
07:20when you never coached a team.
07:23That's already a big challenge.
07:25On top of that,
07:26everything that was happening at the football club,
07:28on top of that,
07:29Covid hits,
07:30you're not able to be in contact with your players
07:32or the club
07:33and that drags for almost two years.
07:36Yeah, it's a lot,
07:37but it was an experience that I learned a lot from it
07:40and I think it made all of us better.
07:45Simon.
07:46Hi, Miguel.
07:47I know the atmosphere is a big thing for you.
07:49One of the things we know is the tunnel has changed.
07:52There's no cover over it.
07:54I just wonder,
07:55is that something you were involved in?
07:56What was that change about?
07:57How do you think it could impact the atmosphere?
07:59No.
08:00Obviously, as a club,
08:01we have always the ambition to generate the best atmosphere
08:03in the world at the Emirates.
08:05We have the best supporters in the world
08:07and now we have to facilitate everything.
08:09The team has to give the right feelings to our supporters
08:13every time we play in front of them.
08:15We need to habilitate as well the stadium in the manner that we want
08:19and we need to ignite that will that we have to play every single ball with us
08:24because it makes such a difference.
08:26We want to play and win the things that we want to win.
08:30That's a non-negotiable.
08:33You need to have a stadium that is able to create those moments for sure.
08:37The other one I wanted to ask you was about Max,
08:39who if he plays in any of these games before his birthday,
08:42he can make his streak in the Champions League.
08:45Obviously, we all are talking about him a lot in these few months,
08:48but for you as managers, when were you first aware of the talent you had
08:52and what work has gone into the point where we are now where he could be making his streak?
08:57Well, the first conversation probably was with Per when we were talking about the talent
09:02and what he could see and feel that he could reach out the level that we needed.
09:07Straight away his name came up and then we started to look at him
09:11and the way he's developed himself and the steps that he's taking
09:17and the speed he's taking them is probably unheard of.
09:21He's fully with us, he's part of us, he's trained with us
09:25and he's got the same chances as anybody else.
09:27Can you remember what year that conversation with Perl was?
09:29I would say a year and a half, two years ago.
09:32James Alcatek.
09:33Hi, Miguel.
09:34Hi.
09:35I wanted to ask you about Victor Jokerez.
09:37He was involved in a really physical game at the weekend with Newcastle.
09:42I just wondered what was your assessment of how he stood up to that challenge
09:46and what does that say about where he is in his adaptation?
09:50I loved it.
09:51I absolutely loved how he took it.
09:53He went on board, not a single moment when he's showing frustration.
09:57I told him, you're going to get some decisions, some others not.
10:01Stand up.
10:02You're going to have two or three players around you in many moments.
10:05The ball is in the air and a lot is going to happen.
10:08But I loved his reaction.
10:09I loved the way he handled the situation emotionally
10:13and as well because he was involved in a lot of dangerous moments that he created.
10:17He was very much involved in them.
10:19It's a pity that he didn't score a goal at the end
10:22because, in my opinion, he fully deserves it.
10:24There's quite a big burden on him at the moment.
10:27Kai is kind of denying on his own, a lot of expectation.
10:31How do you think he's handling that?
10:34In a really natural and organic way, I would say.
10:38He's a really confident boy.
10:40His work ethic is incredible.
10:42The demands that he puts himself every single day.
10:45It's a joy to work with him.
10:47He gives so much to the team and the ceiling is very, very far
10:52why he can still give to the team.
10:53So, I'm very happy with him.
10:55Harry, BBC Radio.
10:56Hi, Mikel.
10:57One of the things that people are most excited about
10:59is the volume of options that you have on the squad.
11:02On the weekend, we saw Eberichi Eze play in a more central position,
11:06sort of close to the forward.
11:08What would you say he brings to the role
11:10that's maybe a little bit different to what Martin Erlegaard does?
11:13Yeah, I think he's got this different quality, you know,
11:17that he does things that, you know, in the book, they are unexpected.
11:20When you think he's going to turn right, he goes left.
11:22When he thinks that he's going to take another touch,
11:24he releases the ball.
11:26It's his vision.
11:28It's a player that can create those magic moments.
11:31And at some point, he can steal the pot
11:34in a way that not many players can do.
11:37We are lucky that we have a few of those.
11:39But the more we put him in central positions,
11:42in those conditions, especially when he has threat around him,
11:46we play in his strengths.
11:48How would you say he's adapted to life at Arsenal?
11:50He's not been here that long.
11:51It feels like he's at home already.
11:53Very good.
11:54Well, personally, obviously, it's a very special character.
11:57Someone really easy to get on with.
12:00He's super intelligent.
12:01I've been very impressed how quickly he picks things,
12:05the question he asks,
12:06and how smart he is just to navigate through a different environment.
12:11And then, yeah, the chemistry generated with his teammates,
12:14the way he's impacting games,
12:15I think for the short period he's been with us,
12:17I think really positive.
12:19Okay, last one in the live section.
12:20First one here.
12:21Hi, Michael.
12:22Hi.
12:23I think Michael has had quite a positive record at the end of this.
12:27How do you not let this affect your mentality
12:29and how do you learn from a previous encounter?
12:32Yeah, because they had a really good side
12:34and they have a really, really good manager,
12:36which I know since I was at the team,
12:38because he was my coach at that period.
12:40And I know how he works.
12:42I know how efficient he is in what he does.
12:44That's why I'm saying that tomorrow is going to be a really tough match.
12:48Okay.
12:49And finally, live David from...
12:50Hi, Michael.
12:51Hi.
12:52So, he was part of a defense with Gabriel,
12:54Timur and Kofi already one year,
12:55he's the boss this season.
12:57What do you see in this defense?
12:58What do you think is making it so good?
13:01Well, one is chemistry.
13:03I think there is something about,
13:04especially when we talk about centre-backs or units,
13:07that it has to exist, that it has to be a will,
13:12that it has to be a feeling to play for each other
13:14and basically to hide each other's weaknesses
13:19and promote each other's strengths.
13:21And that's an ability that they have between them
13:23and they have developed,
13:25they like to play with each other,
13:26they love each other
13:27and that's a massive thing
13:29when you're asking your backline to produce
13:31what they are producing at the moment.
13:33Okay, that finishes the live.
13:35We'll go into 10.30 tonight.
13:36Kick off with this one in the back.
13:38Hi, Michael.
13:39Hi.
13:40You've mentioned before
13:41about how initially you went to the three-line spells
13:43and then came through that
13:44and now obviously one of your main players.
13:47If you look across the first team
13:48in the last couple of seasons,
13:49there's not really been that route
13:50where you've sent plays out and going to go young
13:52and then come back and then risen to the first team.
13:55Why is that particular route really not being utilised
13:59much at all since William, would you say?
14:03Well, we very rarely have recruited 18 years old
14:07in that position at that price.
14:09Of course, not the sentiment.
14:11I mean across the...
14:12Ah.
14:13Well, that was done before I arrived as well
14:17and I didn't really know the expectation that we had
14:20in relation to that,
14:22but in that moment my opinion was that
14:24the room that he had in the squad,
14:25the environment that he had in the squad
14:27and I would say the capacity that he has
14:32to impact the team with what we needed,
14:35it wasn't ideal.
14:36And we decided to loan him
14:38and to give him the exposure that he needed
14:40to let him mature as well
14:41in a different league with a different coach
14:43and then he was ready for it.
14:46You often talk about the atmosphere at the Emirates
14:48and how good it is
14:49and how you want to keep improving it every season.
14:52Do you look at places like Newcastle, for example,
14:54where St James' Park, crazy atmosphere
14:57arguably maybe has an impact on certain things at times.
15:00Do you kind of look at that and think
15:02this is the reason why you want to foster the atmosphere at the Emirates?
15:05For sure, we can learn and take things from many clubs
15:09and in Europe there are some great examples as well.
15:11One thing is the things that we can do externally
15:15to do that.
15:16We can compare ourselves to a city as well.
15:18They just go one club
15:19which brings everything together much easier.
15:22In London, unfortunately, we have so many
15:25and it's a very different context.
15:27But as well I think there is a history
15:29between that crowd and that team
15:32and the moment that you start to go through nights
15:35like we were in last year,
15:36that creates that bond
15:38and that will to experience
15:39and be willing to experience those nights again.
15:42And I think we have decided to create that story
15:44and hopefully tomorrow we create another one.
15:47Charlie from the side.
15:48In terms of you mentioned
15:52William wanting to commit
15:54and it would be really important for him to stay.
15:56How important is it for you to have a really happy camp
15:58to have lots of players who commit themselves to the club,
16:01which they have signed lots of new players as well?
16:05Because it's not always like that at some clubs, is it?
16:07How important is it for you that everyone really wants to be here?
16:12That's a great question.
16:13That's exactly what we need.
16:15As a club, obviously me as a manager
16:18and everybody that works with them,
16:20that they feel that they have that sense of belonging,
16:23that they can continue their journey here,
16:25that they feel that they are in the right place.
16:27Not only at the club as well, in the city,
16:29the way we look after them, the families,
16:31and that they feel that they can be pushed here
16:34to do and to achieve what we want to achieve.
16:37And when people feel and express that by words
16:41and then especially by acts like committing
16:44with the club for many years,
16:46that's the better sign that we can get.
16:48Just on Saliba, he said on the website,
16:55he was great at saying,
16:56I'm happy now but not 100% happy
16:58because we have to do more,
16:59we want to win this high sports because it's what we want.
17:02Do you like to hear that from your players,
17:04saying that the job's not done yet?
17:07Yes, and that was the conversation
17:09that we're having with everybody that wants to continue here,
17:13that we want to continue here to finalise
17:16and to start to achieve the things that we want.
17:18And that's the end.
17:20Do you sense after the weekend,
17:21obviously you had a bad record
17:23of Newcastle, you had an amazing win.
17:25Do you sense there's that sort of growing belief
17:27now among the players and this could be the season?
17:29Well, that creates momentum and energy
17:31and at the end we go where we deserve it.
17:34But it was done in a special manner
17:36that now we need to use that momentum and energy
17:39to go tomorrow and play with the same quality,
17:42with the same intensity and effectiveness
17:45to be new Olympiacos.
17:48Last week you said that Nomi was potentially
17:52going to have another scan.
17:54Are you any clearer on how long he'll be sideline for?
17:57No, he hasn't had a scan yet,
17:59so he needs to wait a little bit more,
18:00still with the brace and everything.
18:02So he's still in a stage that everything is super protective
18:06and once he comes out of that and has the scan,
18:08we'll have more clarity about it.
18:10And just on Ethan, there were suggestions that he travelled to Newcastle
18:13but wasn't included in the match day sport,
18:16just selection, obviously you've got a big squad now.
18:19No.
18:20Is that true?
18:21And if so, did you have to speak to him
18:23and give him a little bit of talking to you?
18:26Because obviously there's increased competition this season,
18:28but he's a young player.
18:29No.
18:30So, yeah, I talked to all the players
18:32and we had a meeting specifically about that
18:34and the scenarios that we were going to have throughout the season.
18:37And some of them are going to start,
18:38some of them are going to finish the game,
18:39some of them are going to be on the bench
18:41and don't be participating,
18:42and some of them unfortunately are going to be out of the squad
18:44because with the Premier League you have the limitation with the numbers.
18:48And sometimes we have to travel more players
18:50because things can happen and somebody can get ill
18:53or we have a doubt with somebody
18:55whether the next morning is going to be available to play.
18:57And unfortunately we have to do that.
19:00But, I mean, the attitude of every player,
19:02because we have explained them and personally they know how we feel about it,
19:06it's been really good and they will have the chances to play.
19:10Can you remember some of his early conversations with William?
19:15Because when he arrived he was a young player
19:19and he seemed away maybe in this other part of his life.
19:23Can you remember some of those conversations?
19:25You were obviously also a young coach having that conversation.
19:28Do you remember those conversations?
19:30Not exactly.
19:31I know the tone and the difficulty of them
19:34because at the end you're telling a player that in your opinion
19:38the best thing is to go on low and have minutes and exposure.
19:42Which at the same time means that, yeah,
19:45here probably is not the right place for you right now.
19:48And very difficult for probably a player at that age
19:51that has signed for us and has big expectations to swallow that.
19:54But he did it with incredible maturity and being really patient,
19:59without judging too much our decision
20:04and basically proving everybody wrong
20:08or the fact that he was very good and he can actually do it
20:12and that he deserves a place at the club.
20:14OK, guys, thanks very much.
20:17Hello, we'll kick off with Alex and then we'll go to Dharmesh.
20:27Hi William, congratulations on your new contract.
20:30How pleased are you to have it officially signed and out?
20:33Yeah, hello.
20:34Yeah, I'm so happy to sign the new deal with my club.
20:39So, yeah, I have to keep going and keep going like this
20:43to help the team to win some trophies.
20:47We spoke to Mikel.
20:48There's lots of players like yourself
20:50that have long-term contracts now.
20:52What does that say about the group?
20:54You're all ready to win trophies together?
20:56Of course, I think it's the only thing that we miss here
21:00is the win trophies.
21:02And we all believe in the project and in the future.
21:06We have a good squad, good staff, good coach.
21:09So, yeah, we are close to achieve things.
21:12So, we have to keep going like that.
21:14And I'm sure soon we will be able to win some trophies.
21:19You had a really dramatic win in the weekend.
21:23Does winning games like that make you feel like this could be the season
21:27and you could lift the trophy?
21:29Does that feel momentum?
21:31Yeah, I think.
21:32Because in the first half, the team played so well.
21:36I think we deserve to score at least two or three goals.
21:40But we didn't.
21:41And they scored one corner at the end of the first half.
21:45But we didn't give up.
21:47And we keep pushing until the end.
21:51And at the end, we scored one good corner from Gabriel.
21:56And of course, we have to take this win because it's never easy to go to Newcastle and win there.
22:02So, we're happy.
22:03We're happy.
22:05Now you signed the contract.
22:08When you look back, lots of European clubs, the biggest ones, would have been interested in signing you.
22:15That's a two-part question.
22:17Were you ever tempted and was there ever any doubt in your mind that this was going to be what you wanted to do?
22:24To be honest, I was not really focused on the club from outside.
22:30I was just focused on here.
22:33I knew that I wanted to stay here for more years.
22:38So, I was not really focused on the other clubs.
22:42So, I'm happy to be here.
22:44And I signed a new deal.
22:45So, yeah, full focus on my club.
22:47Can you take us back to when you joined?
22:49Because at the start, you were a young man, but you were on loan at three different clubs.
22:55Was there ever any doubt in your mind that is it going to work out for me at Arsenal?
23:01Or were you fearful maybe that it wouldn't?
23:04Yeah, of course.
23:06When I arrived in 2020 and I didn't play for six months, then I went on loan.
23:13Of course, sometimes you have some doubts to say, yeah, maybe I will never play for this club.
23:18But at the end, I told myself that I cannot leave this club without playing and I didn't give up.
23:25I went on loan.
23:26I played games.
23:27I came back here and I started almost every game.
23:30So, yeah, I'm so proud of me.
23:33That means that you must never give up.
23:38And that's what I did.
23:39And I'm proud of myself.
23:41You said you never gave up.
23:43Who helped you?
23:44And what role did Mikel Arteta play in that?
23:47Yeah, of course, he helped me.
23:49Like, I wasn't playing here.
23:51So, him on the club sent me on loan to improve.
23:55Because when you are a young player, you need to play.
23:57If you are on the bench, you cannot improve.
24:00So, I went on loan and it was good for me.
24:04And when I came back, like one year and a half after, I was ready to play.
24:10And now, I'm a starter.
24:15So, of course, I'm proud.
24:17And I signed a new deal.
24:18So, I'm even more proud.
24:20How difficult is it for a young player to say, right, I want to play for a big club like Arsenal.
24:28But if I keep being sent on loan, I've got to play well there to convince Arsenal to play.
24:34That's quite hard mentally.
24:36Yeah, of course.
24:37As I said, sometimes you have some doubt.
24:39You say, yeah, if the club send you on loan a lot, maybe they don't need you.
24:45But at the end, it's football.
24:47Sometimes you have a good moment, sometimes you have a bad moment like this.
24:50And you have to be strong in your head and always believe in yourself.
24:54And that's what I did.
24:57And even in the bad moments, I keep believing in myself.
25:02And when I came back, I had some chances to play.
25:06And I play well, so, yeah.
25:09We spoke to you last year during the Champions League campaign.
25:12You may remember.
25:13You had some fairly high aspirations, fairly high goals.
25:16You obviously believe you can achieve all of those here.
25:19Yeah, of course.
25:20As I said, we have the staff, the coach and the really good squad.
25:25This season to compete in any competition.
25:29We don't want just to be there and enjoy the Champions League.
25:33We want to win the Champions League and win any titles.
25:39I've finally seen a video where you say you feel like a Londoner now,
25:42more than where you grew up in Paris.
25:45But there are certain things you miss about Paris.
25:47Apparently, some of our people are the best.
25:50You don't like our pastry.
25:51You don't like our bread.
25:53I mean, you've never been to the Recuse section of Tesco.
25:56No.
25:57As I said, yeah, of course, I prefer the food from Paris.
26:01But, yeah, I like the food as well here.
26:05But it's not the best to be honest with you.
26:08Come on, come on.
26:09What's wrong with roast beef and your chicken, eh?
26:11I never test, to be honest.
26:14But sometimes there is some food that you see and you don't want to eat.
26:20But, yeah, slowly, step by step.
26:22Step by step.
26:23You have to come over one night.
26:24Okay, okay, okay.
26:25I will.
26:29I'd love to ask you about Thierry on Rio.
26:32I know that he was the shirt you ever had.
26:35That's sort of the youngster growing up in France in the early 2000s.
26:38Could you reflect on what Thierry meant,
26:41and if there's any great memories you've had from him wearing an Arsenal shirt?
26:45Yeah, of course, it was my first shirt of Arsenal on him.
26:50It was on my back.
26:52So, yeah, for me, it was like a class player to watch.
26:59Obviously, he's French.
27:01So, when you're a French player and you play in a big game,
27:05a big club like Arsenal.
27:07So, I was following the team on him.
27:10And, yeah, I remember some clubs.
27:12I was a bit young, so I don't have a lot of memories,
27:15but I have this final against Barcelona when they almost win the Champions League.
27:21But, yeah, I watched some clips on YouTube, the skills and everything.
27:26Yeah.
27:27Do you think you'd be an Arsenal player that wouldn't be Thierry?
27:31I don't know, but we never know.
27:35We don't know because he was an Arsenal player.
27:39So, of course, because he was French,
27:42so he helped me to support this team.
27:44But, yeah, we never know.
27:46Have you ever spoken to him?
27:47Because I know he does really like the Intersection.
27:49So...
27:50Yeah, I spoke with him a couple of times,
27:52like when he was a journalist in France.
27:55After some games, I saw him when I was on loan.
27:58So, yeah, I spoke with him a bit, yeah.
28:01Yeah.
28:02You mentioned you were only ever focused on staying at Arsenal,
28:07but often the draw around Madrid.
28:09You've seen like Trent Alexander-Arland won the title with Liverpool,
28:12but he's still drawn to around Madrid,
28:15and Ju Bellingham as well.
28:17Why do you never...
28:20What makes Arsenal so special for you?
28:23You weren't interested in being at Arsenal?
28:26Yeah, as you said, he won some titles with Liverpool.
28:29Me, I didn't win anything here,
28:33except...
28:35What's the club we won?
28:38Community Shield?
28:39Only Community Shield.
28:40So, yeah, I've done nothing for this club
28:43to think about living.
28:45So, yeah, I want to stay here and win a lot of trophies.
28:49But you can understand why a lot of fans would love to hear that.
28:51Yeah.
28:52And you being honest.
28:53Yeah, no, of course, of course.
28:54Because it's not always like some players...
28:55Yeah, no, I know, I know.
28:56Like, yeah, me, I love this club.
28:58I cannot leave this club without giving them something back.
29:03I won nothing.
29:04So, yeah, my first shot was to stay here and win everything first.
29:10And you're pretty close to winning a trophy, aren't you?
29:14But what do you think is missing at the moment,
29:17just to get you out of the mind?
29:19Yeah, of course, we are always close.
29:21But, yeah, if we don't win,
29:24it's because we miss something.
29:26Like, every year, we're getting better.
29:29And this year, we had a lot of experiences from the last three seasons.
29:33We know that we are always close, always close.
29:36We know how the Premier League is.
29:39We know how the Champions League is.
29:41So, we have to stop talking and prove on the pitch that we have to win.
29:47Like, yeah, of course, it's good to talk.
29:49And now we have to prove it on the pitch that we are ready to win.
29:53And, yeah, that's it.
29:54And do you feel that the league is right among the teams?
29:58Yeah, of course.
30:00Like, I've been there for three years.
30:03Every time, at the end of the season, you finish the second.
30:07So, yeah, you're a bit angry.
30:09So, you want to go on holidays, celebrate with your friends,
30:12the trophies that you won with your club.
30:16So, of course, yeah, when you finish the second and you go on holidays,
30:19it's not so good.
30:20With the three low styles at the start,
30:24you're obviously a very young guy.
30:26You're still young now.
30:27But with that period, what was the conversation like with Michael Arsetsa?
30:30So, obviously, it wasn't still a very formative period
30:32and you hadn't played for us at that point.
30:36Yeah, he was straight to me.
30:38The first weeks, he told me that for him, I was not ready to play.
30:45He told me this.
30:47And I was training and I was playing with the 21.
30:52And at the end of December, he told me that it was better for me to go on holidays,
30:57better than stay here and to not playing.
31:01So, yeah, I was angry because I needed to play.
31:05So, he sent me on holidays.
31:07And, yeah, I was in touch with Edu as well when he was here.
31:13He was talking with my agent to say, yeah,
31:16like, after the first loan, he said, we need one more loan.
31:21So, I went back as well.
31:23And, like, the first month of my last loan, they told me, yeah,
31:27we need you back at the end of this loan.
31:30So, yeah, I was in touch with the coach and Edu.
31:35So, yeah.
31:36What did that spell teach you?
31:40Yeah, like, I signed here for, yeah, almost 30 million.
31:44So, I was expecting to play.
31:46And you arrive here, you don't play.
31:49So, I was a bit angry.
31:51But it's football.
31:52Sometimes you expect something and it doesn't come.
31:55So, you have to fight.
31:57I didn't give up.
31:59And now I'm here in front of you playing for Arsenal.
32:02So, yeah, I'm happy.
32:04When we talk about Henry, he remembered not only supporters,
32:08but because of the trophies that he won.
32:10And is that for you part of the reason that,
32:12if you want to be remembered in 20, 25 years,
32:14you need to win trophies here?
32:16Yeah, of course.
32:18As I said, it's the only thing that we miss here.
32:22Because we have a good team.
32:23We play well.
32:24We are good.
32:26We only miss trophies.
32:28And I think the team and I will give everything to win this title.
32:34Because, yeah, of course,
32:35the people, they want to remember at you if you win nothing.
32:39So, at the end, it's trophies, trophies, trophies.
32:43And just fitness-wise, obviously, I know you couldn't start on Sunday.
32:47How is the angle you now?
32:49Are you still trying to manage it?
32:50Yeah, it's better now.
32:53I was feeling a bit before City and even after.
32:57But now, yeah, I'm feeling better.
32:59I hope I will not have pain anymore.
33:02Do the last couple and half of James first.
33:04Hi William.
33:05I just wanted to ask you about your celebrations.
33:08You're a very cool, calm guy on the pitch.
33:11But when the ball goes in the net,
33:13it's like you become a bit of a different person.
33:15Can you explain what those moments are like for you?
33:18Yeah, just normal for me.
33:21Because, yes, it's hard to win games in Premier League.
33:24So, when there is one draw and you are pushing for a win
33:29and you score at the end, like, yeah, I become crazy a bit.
33:33But, yeah, football is hard to win games, especially in Premier League.
33:36So, when you win, especially at the end like this, you are so happy.
33:41I remember when you were with San Etienne, there were great images of you,
33:46like in the crowd, with the megaphone and with the flags.
33:49Is that really important to you as football,
33:51that connection you feel with the fans?
33:53Yeah, of course.
33:54Of course.
33:55Because without them, we are nothing.
33:57So, it's good to have a good connection with them.
34:00Always.
34:01Yeah.
34:03Yeah.
34:04I will do the final one in the middle.
34:05Yeah.
34:06Congratulations on Zach and a new contract with you.
34:08I wanted to ask, how do you see your role evolving as a player and leader in this Arsenal?
34:12Yeah.
34:13Yeah.
34:15Yeah.
34:16I think now I play three years in the role with Arsenal.
34:21Now I'm 24.
34:22So, I have a bit of experience now.
34:26So, I think now I'm not so young.
34:29So, I have to be one of the leaders of this team.
34:32And I have to be an example as well.
34:34So, yeah, I think my role change a bit.
34:38Do you see yourself becoming an Arsenal legend and what do you need to do to make that reality?
34:43Win titles, win titles and be good on the pitch.
34:48And hopefully, if God wants, I will become a legend here.
34:52So, we'll end it there.
34:53Thank you guys.
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