- 6 months ago
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta updates on team injuries and Gyokeres performance
17/10/2025
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
17/10/2025
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00In the traditional way, there's always something to talk to you about in terms of injuries,
00:08unfortunately, but first of all, I'll check on Martin Odegaard.
00:11There's lots of news coming out of the club, but not officially yet,
00:15about how long he might need to be out.
00:18It will be weeks, no definite date for his return, but he's evolving well.
00:24Very unlucky what's happening with him and his injuries this season.
00:29But, yeah, I think he will be back in a few weeks.
00:32When you say that, that kind of brings into the equation.
00:35I guess what people have been writing and saying that potentially after the next international break
00:41could be around that time.
00:43It could be, but we'll have to see how he progresses, how the knee is healing,
00:47how he manages after the next steps in his rehab.
00:51So, too early to give an answer.
00:54From one Martin to another Martin?
00:56Yeah.
00:57Some eyebrows raised because he was out of training, certainly the initial session
01:01of the Canberra's field yesterday, but in his training shoes and watching from the side.
01:05That's part of his recovery process.
01:08Yeah, all the players come from different countries, different amounts of games
01:13and minutes played, and we believe that it was the right thing to do.
01:17He played two games again.
01:19His load has been really high recently and he needed an extra day.
01:23But he's available?
01:24He will be available, yes.
01:25And Ben White, similar?
01:27Yes, very similar.
01:28I mean, we are monitoring all the players and give a specific menu to each of them
01:33to make sure that they are in the best condition.
01:35And some good news.
01:36We saw Incappier out there with the rest of the guys.
01:39Yeah, he will be training today again with us.
01:42And if everything is right, he will be available as well.
01:45Chance for him now to really get some minutes into his legs and become a big part of the group?
01:51Yeah, we really want that.
01:52He's a player that is going to help us a lot.
01:55He's going to bring something different to the team.
01:57And yeah, we need to get him going, get to the speed that's necessary to compete at this level
02:02and gradually get him to where we want.
02:05Sorry, just two more before we move on.
02:07Noni, getting close?
02:09Getting closer as well.
02:11He's going to start very soon to start to do some running and stuff.
02:15And again, let's see how that reacts.
02:17And how has Kai?
02:18Because you know he's surprised you before about how quickly he can recover from a major injury.
02:24Can you expect any similar surprises, Charles?
02:27Again, very difficult.
02:28There's still a lot to do in his rehab.
02:30He's really pushing it.
02:31We know Kai and that's why we love him so much.
02:34But we have to wait and see.
02:37I think we are doing a really good work with him again.
02:40He wants to break every timeline, I'm sure.
02:45But as well, we have to protect him and make sure that when he comes back,
02:49he's come back for the long term.
02:51Before the international break, you went top of the table.
02:54During the break, you've gone into the top ten,
02:57the longest-serving Premier League managers.
03:01Another milestone.
03:03How do you feel about that?
03:05Well, I'm very privileged and grateful, as always.
03:09And be present on the day because we know that our job is the only thing that requires.
03:15You've only got another 16 years to go to overtake Arsenal.
03:18Yeah, that's a long, long way.
03:22Well, it's a target.
03:24And the target, I guess, is to do Craig and Cottage with a bit of a bogey team,
03:29I guess you could say in recent years there.
03:31What you did at Newcastle where you got a result after a couple of bad trips.
03:36It's the same.
03:37Hopefully you hope more at Craig and Cottage, aren't you?
03:39Yeah, that's a good example.
03:40What we did at Newcastle or West Ham as well,
03:43that in the last two seasons as well we lost against them at home.
03:46So that's an opportunity tomorrow.
03:49We know that it's a really tough place to go,
03:52a very well-coached team,
03:54and we're going to have to be at our best tomorrow.
03:56Keeping them out is obviously a big part of it,
03:59and you've done that well so far this season as a group.
04:03that's the best in all the top European leagues
04:07in terms of the number of goals you've conceded in the first ten games
04:10or competitions,
04:11and the best ever of any Arsenal men's first team since Arsenal
04:15came into existence.
04:17Three goals in ten games.
04:19Well, that's a platform to build performances and results,
04:24that's for sure.
04:25And we want to consistently be able to defend at that level
04:30in order to do that as well how well we attack
04:33and how committed everybody is to do what we have to do.
04:37And if we continue to do that,
04:38it's going to give us a big chance to get where we want.
04:41The way you are achieving those numbers,
04:43that must put confidence into the whole side,
04:46particularly that part of the pitch.
04:48Yes, for sure.
04:50And as well I think it tells about the organisation of the team
04:55and the consistency that we are showing in many aspects.
04:57And the more we do those things in a lot of parameters
05:01throughout the season
05:02and we establish ourselves in those categories at the highest level,
05:06the bigger the chance will be to achieve what we want, for sure.
05:09A couple more.
05:10I wanted to ask you about your leadership group.
05:13You haven't actually said who's in it,
05:15but we kind of know that the Kaio tends to get the armband
05:18if he plays and marks it out for the years,
05:21but also Deffen, Gabriel, Jurio Timber.
05:25Deffen got the England armband, didn't he?
05:27Yeah.
05:28What does that say to you about the number of leaders you've got here?
05:31Well, it makes me proud, not only here but with the national team
05:35and every time I talk to the national team coaches
05:39and the way they talk about our players
05:41and the roles that they've been given as well in the last few years as well.
05:46That tells you the leadership, the accountability
05:50and how much they trust them.
05:52And yeah, Martin is out but we have various kind of leaders in the team
05:56now that they have.
05:57They have the ownership and accountability to deliver what is required
06:01and Martin will continue to have a role
06:04whether it is not playing as well to push and to support
06:08and keep the demands high in the team.
06:10One American ownership group played another American ownership group
06:15on Saturday and again on Sunday.
06:17The Conkers versus the Cards.
06:20The Rams versus the Jaguars.
06:23Will you be watching?
06:24And I know you've got a good relationship with Sean Lefe.
06:26Do you speak to each other?
06:28Can you learn from each other's sports?
06:30Do you like each other's tactics and styles?
06:32I do and Sean is someone that I admire a lot.
06:36Not only for what he has achieved as well,
06:39but the way he is as a coach, as a person,
06:42the way he presents himself and I learned a lot of things of him.
06:45So, yeah, we'll be connected.
06:47It's going to be a really tight schedule for both teams
06:49because we have the Champions League after coming up on Tuesday.
06:52But it's great to have them.
06:54It's great to have Stan and George here as well with us.
06:57I think it's a good opportunity as well to connect everybody.
07:01Go Rams.
07:02Go Rams.
07:03Go Rams.
07:04Go to Anita from the Premier League.
07:07Good morning, Mikel.
07:08Good morning.
07:09I know it's only match we take that we're going into,
07:12but we look back at the last few seasons,
07:14you had experience of being chased and doing the chasing.
07:18Top of the table, which do you prefer?
07:23I prefer to win every game.
07:25And the only thing that we can do is to perform really well
07:28on Saturday and win the game.
07:30As you said, it's super early.
07:32It's not the moment to start looking at that.
07:34It's much more the moment now to look at performances,
07:37to look at ways that we can sustain certain things that we're doing
07:40and improve others and that's the only way.
07:44And that increases the chances to, when it matters,
07:47when it comes to March and April,
07:49to be in the best possible position.
07:51And then when you ask me that question,
07:52I will tell you for sure I want to be at the top.
07:55What is it that you have seen that has been positive
07:58from the opening seven weeks so far?
08:01A lot of things.
08:03There have been two very different blocks.
08:04In the second block, because of some issues that we had,
08:07we had to increase our availability in the squad.
08:10That was one of the main things to do.
08:13The impact that anybody could have in the game,
08:16whether he was playing or finishing
08:18or he wasn't even in the squad.
08:20I think we did that really, really well.
08:22And then we have a few things that we wanted to be more unpredictable,
08:26to thread more the opposition,
08:28to be super consistent in all the defensive aspects of the game,
08:30as well.
08:31And we went to a different level.
08:33And after that, in the next block,
08:35can we sustain a lot of those things
08:37and increase others as objectives?
08:39I imagine during the international break,
08:41as well as having a bit of downtime,
08:42you were watching some of your players
08:44who had great impact for their own respective nations.
08:47Martinelli, I wanted to ask you about.
08:49He's only had two starts in the Premier League this season,
08:52scored for Brazil during the break.
08:55How much pressure is he putting on you
08:57to maybe be starting in that left wing position tomorrow?
09:01He's doing what we expect from everybody to do.
09:03He's got the meanness, the opportunity to deliver
09:06and to impact the game and especially the results.
09:10And then his attitude overall, his behaviour,
09:12the way he trains, the way he carries himself,
09:14his willingness to learn constantly.
09:16There are many examples throughout the team.
09:18But very pleased to see Gabby going to the national team again
09:21and scoring and performing well.
09:24That's all good signs because when they come back,
09:26the spirit is good, the confidence is good,
09:29so everything is easier.
09:32We'll try to get to everyone.
09:33There's quite a lot of people here today,
09:34so we'll just put a couple of each.
09:35Alex from the game.
09:36Hi.
09:37Declan Rice said on England's duty
09:40that he slightly changed his rowers season
09:42and gave him some more freedom.
09:44Can you speak to us about how that change has been
09:48and how happy we are with Martin Zidamendi?
09:52Yeah, I think he's adapting to the qualities that we have
09:55and as well certain chemistry is a certain relationship
09:58that you notice and with eight new players in the squad,
10:02different things emerge and just trying to maximise
10:05his qualities in relation to others
10:07to give the team the best capacity to perform.
10:12Before the international break,
10:14it was a bit of a tough time for Victor Jokeres.
10:16He scored in six games.
10:18I know you're appreciative of the work that he was doing
10:20for his team mates.
10:21He didn't score for Sweden in the two matches.
10:24Do you have to pick him up at this point
10:25to lift his confidence or do you think he'll be OK?
10:28Yes, but I mean, it brings so much to the team
10:30and watching the games back,
10:32I'm very pleased with what he's giving to the team.
10:35I told him before the first meeting,
10:37I said the nine that I want is a nine
10:39that when he doesn't score for six or eight games,
10:42he can handle that.
10:43If not, you have to go somewhere else
10:45because the pressure is gone,
10:46the expectation is going to be there.
10:48So, you put the number nine shirt for Arsenal,
10:50you have to be able to say,
10:51OK, six games, don't score.
10:53I'm a different player.
10:55I start to act in a different way.
10:57I want much more of the same of what he's doing
10:59and, yeah, once we have those opportunities,
11:01put it.
11:02I'm sure it's going to happen.
11:03Tom, football on there?
11:04Michael, I was pointing out to me the other day
11:06that you have as many senior left-footed outfield players
11:09as right-footed outfield players.
11:11If they were to play each other,
11:12who do you think would win?
11:14What kind of pitch?
11:16What size of pitch?
11:18You've got ten of each, so 11 a side.
11:2011 a side, I don't know.
11:22It's good.
11:23It's a really good balance.
11:25It's a very rare thing to have
11:27and we have thought about it a lot.
11:30But it is a coincidence, certain things,
11:33because, for example, our three academic graduates,
11:36the three of them are left-footed.
11:38That's quite rare already.
11:41I have three sons, two of them are left-footed.
11:43Quite rare as well, but, yeah,
11:46they are beautiful to watch, that's certain,
11:48and they give you something different.
11:50And we've mentioned the Rams, obviously, here.
11:52We've also seen that Barcelona and Villarreal
11:54going to Miami to be in our league again.
11:56From the Josh speaking at a fans forum a few years ago,
11:58saying you've guaranteed that Arsenal
12:00would never play a home game away from North London.
12:02Do you see that as Arsenal's future,
12:04never playing a competitive home game away from the Emirates?
12:09I don't decide that.
12:10For me to say never, I don't want to use that word.
12:13Let's see.
12:14There are other people who have to decide it.
12:16If you tell me what would you like,
12:18what you prefer with the schedule that we have,
12:20let's play as many games as possible in London, please.
12:23Simon Standard?
12:25Just on Victor, you talk about his mentality.
12:28Is that something when you're scouting a player
12:31that you can find out about,
12:33and how did you go about that with Victor,
12:35to know he was someone who could handle the pressure?
12:37Going back in his history as well with Victor,
12:41it's a very different one.
12:43The beginning, when he wasn't even playing much,
12:45and then how he evolved his career.
12:48Then in the last year,
12:49very difficult to find a gap of that
12:51because I think he scored in every single match almost.
12:54But just preparing something.
12:56The context is going to change.
12:58It's part of football.
12:59You see the history of the number nine.
13:01You're going to have moments like that,
13:03hopefully through playing,
13:04not that you don't even have the option to play
13:06and you are injured.
13:07So his robustness is something really good.
13:10I'm really happy with him.
13:12Full confidence.
13:13And when you look at him every single day,
13:15how much he wants it.
13:17That's exactly what you expect.
13:19Obviously on the outside,
13:20when you judge a strike,
13:21everyone looks at the goal.
13:23But when you judge Victor's performance,
13:24do you look at it differently?
13:26Well, the first thing is that.
13:28That's going to give you something extra.
13:30Victor has so many things that probably are not noticeable,
13:34but as well it creates environment and space
13:38and solutions to a lot of the players around him.
13:41And with the talent that we have in the team,
13:43I'm sure that everybody, him included,
13:45will benefit from that.
13:47You mentioned the second block of games earlier,
13:52and I think in that block you used a few players quite differently.
13:56So Kaia played off the left quite a few times,
13:59and Martinelli off the right,
14:01and there are a few different combinations going on.
14:04So I was just wondering what your thinking was with that
14:07and if you were happy with what you saw in those kinds of instances.
14:12Yeah, I think having that unpredictability and that flexibility,
14:17I think it can add a lot of value.
14:20It's true that you need certain consistency as well in certain positions.
14:24And not all the players are that naturally confident or comfortable
14:29to adapt to a different position,
14:31but some of them, they did really well.
14:33It's just finding when is the right moment,
14:35the right timing in the game to make those changes,
14:37and then it has to work.
14:39Is that something you've wanted to do for a while,
14:41in terms of that kind of experience,
14:43and what's making you, I guess, confident enough to do it at this point?
14:48When you feel it, you have to feel it,
14:50and now they are ready to do it,
14:51because as well different positions have different requirements,
14:54physically, emotionally, in relation to the game plan.
14:58You change a player two or three times in a position in a game,
15:02that means that he needs to fulfil three roles in all the aspects of the game.
15:06That's a lot of information to process a player,
15:09and some players are more confident and more comfortable than others to do that.
15:13James, CBS over here.
15:15Hi, Michel.
15:16You mentioned Piero bringing something new to the group.
15:19Can you expand on what you're looking forward to seeing from him?
15:22Well, what you're going to see is,
15:24it's aggression, it's determination.
15:27It's a player that goes full gas to every single action,
15:31especially in defending.
15:33And with the ball, whether he plays a less centre-back
15:37or a full-back player, that it's very clean on the ball.
15:40Again, that it's someone that really wants to penetrate,
15:46whether it's with the ball he's positioning,
15:48and it will bring a different character and emotion to the team.
15:53Simon mentioned there about getting a scouting sense of the person,
15:57as well as the player.
15:59Obviously, Piero, you have quite a good friend who knows him quite well,
16:03and Xabi Alonso.
16:04What was the sort of recommendation?
16:06Did you speak to Xabi about that?
16:07Yes, I did.
16:08Yes, for sure.
16:09I had to.
16:10I mean, someone like him that I know so well,
16:11trust him and had him for a few years.
16:14It's a very, very valuable information to have.
16:18It was super complimentary of him for many different reasons,
16:23and it was good to confirm what I saw,
16:26and some of the things that obviously you learn from that conversation
16:29that probably you weren't very aware of.
16:31Harry, BBC Radio.
16:33Mikel, it was mentioned a little bit earlier on that Fulham have been a bit of a bogey team recently,
16:37particularly at Creighton Cottage.
16:39How much does that kind of play into your preparation for a game like this?
16:42And if it does, is there something specific that you can do differently
16:46when you come up against a side that maybe the past you struggle against?
16:50Yeah, you always learn from that.
16:51It's true that at the end they will have certain new players,
16:54the state of the teams and where we are.
16:58It is different to last season as well.
17:00And then the game, the context of the game changed,
17:03especially last year, immediately when we are in total control of the game
17:07and in one moment we concede the goal.
17:10And then it's a different game to be played.
17:13But we learn from it, obviously we want to make it different,
17:17especially the results that we had in the last few years
17:19and do our best to achieve it.
17:21And Mikel Moreno was a good goal-scoring for Spain.
17:25Is that something that you would say he's added to his game
17:28a little bit more since arriving at Arsenal?
17:30Do you take some credit for his development in the final third?
17:33I think the credit is with him because he had those qualities,
17:37I think, obviously positioning players and insisting in certain qualities
17:43that can really impact and maximise the resources of the team.
17:47It's something that we made him aware, basically.
17:50And then as well his mindset.
17:52I mean, he's played as a right attacking midfield,
17:54a left attacking midfield in different roles as well.
17:56And then as a nine.
17:57And then he has that.
17:58He always had that intuition, that quality to finish action,
18:01especially one touch inside the box.
18:03And now he's doing it very regularly.
18:05And I think he's enjoying it.
18:07OK, we'll go to Charlie here and then we'll do the last couple of years live.
18:09So, thank you to Charlie.
18:10You mentioned Sean Leveille earlier.
18:13Is there anything you've learnt from other coaches in other sports?
18:17Yes, a lot of things.
18:19From handball, from rugby, from tennis, from ice hockey.
18:25It's a lot.
18:26And not only from the sport, but the sport played in different countries.
18:31So, it's not the same rugby here that rugby in Australia.
18:35And it's something that fascinates me.
18:37It's not only about the sport, it's about the culture, about managing,
18:40about managing that they've been in the job for one season or 13 seasons.
18:45It's a completely different job.
18:46So, it's always that willingness, I mean, and to learn, that curiosity to learn.
18:54It's always that.
18:55And with the NFL, you mentioned before, both teams taking interest in both games.
19:01How important is your relationship with the ownership in achieving our goals?
19:06Well, very much because at the end, we have to share their vision
19:10and especially their ambition.
19:11And ambition is very clear.
19:13We are here to win, to win major trophies.
19:15And every sign that they are giving us, every conversation,
19:18that's the main topic.
19:20And then they are incredibly experienced in a sport.
19:24They win it almost everything.
19:26And what we want to do is do it here now.
19:29Last couple of changes.
19:31Hi, Mikel.
19:32Hi.
19:33Just to go back to Martin.
19:34Can I just ask how he's meant to be?
19:37Because he's had to deal with a hell of a lot already.
19:39I know he's a captain who really wants to be.
19:41I think he's in a really good place.
19:46Obviously disappointed how it happened.
19:48The good thing is that he does everything that he possibly can to prevent injuries.
19:53The injuries that he had, they are very, very difficult to prevent.
19:57So that's something that you wait off yourself and that's it.
20:01And then he cannot afford to be in a different mindset.
20:04He's the captain.
20:05He needs to drive the standard.
20:06He needs to be the example.
20:07He needs to bring that and he's next to that.
20:10So that's it.
20:11When you don't have an option, you are a dad.
20:13You have to look after your kids.
20:15You have to be there.
20:16You are good.
20:17You are tired.
20:18You don't.
20:19It's a responsibility in the team.
20:20I mean, you never want to be out without the captain, obviously.
20:23But with the score building you've done over the summer,
20:25you must be in a better place to be able to do it.
20:28Yes, for sure.
20:29But that doesn't mean that Martin is a capital player for us.
20:33It's very, very, very important for us.
20:35We haven't had it almost since the start of the season.
20:38Like other players, unfortunately.
20:40But we are coping because we have strengthened the score
20:43because we have played with all the qualities
20:45that they are still performing really well.
20:48And that's what we have to do.
20:49But make sure that we have him back
20:51because we will be a better team.
20:53Okay.
20:54And Phil here.
20:55Hi.
20:56Since the last round of pictures are sort of now being
20:58that the schools are favored by the public
21:01and still in the Premier League,
21:02do you think that's an accurate representation of how
21:04in a certain way?
21:06I don't know.
21:07Then we have to ask how accurate it was
21:09the one four weeks ago or eight weeks ago.
21:11So we don't know.
21:12I'm sure a result or two would change that
21:15in an even better percentage for us
21:19or was depending on what happens.
21:21Let's focus on what we can control.
21:23Do you think it's possible to stay at the top
21:25to the end of the season?
21:26Do you think because of the strength of other teams
21:28that believe in James' brother?
21:30It is possible that we continue to win
21:32a lot of all matches.
21:34I'm sure we will be there.
21:35Okay, guys.
21:36That finished Diaz live.
21:37We'll now go to...
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