Tag: Mikel Arteta

Head coach Mikel Arteta has addressed Arsenal contract ahead of the clash against Bournemouth on Saturday. 

Arteta’s side host Bournemouth on Saturday and second-placed City travel to Chelsea on Sunday as the title race approaches a pivotal moment.

The Gunners are nine points ahead of City, having played a game more than Pep Guardiola’s team.

That lead would increase to 12 points if Arsenal defeat Bournemouth, putting City under intense pressure to take maximum points from their tricky trip to Stamford Bridge.

Asked how important it would be to move further ahead of City, Arteta told reporters on Friday: “The closer we get, the relevance and importance of the match increases, obviously, and tomorrow is a big day for us.

“The players know it, our supporters know it, it’s early kick-off, so get up early, have an early breakfast, bring your lunch, bring your dinner, as you say in England, and let’s go all together for it because it has to be a big day.”

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After losing to City in the League Cup final and to second tier Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Arsenal bounced back with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg on Tuesday.

The Gunners are chasing a first English title in 22 years, as well as their maiden Champions League crown.

And Arteta is convinced that they can finish the season with both trophies, which would finally end their six-year silverware drought since lifting the FA Cup.

“First of all, the capacity we have as a club and as a team, the will to win,” Arteta said to explain his belief.

“We recognise the opportunity ahead and we are going to do our best to achieve it.”

Arteta’s Arsenal contract expires in 2027, and the Spaniard remains fully committed to the club after reports of talks over a new deal.

“There’s no news on that. We have no time to discuss that now. The full focus is on what we have to do from here until the end of the season,” he said.

“I am fully committed and really happy and I feel good. My family is good and I still have so much ambition to do with this football club, and for now we are in a good place.

“This job is about the present and what you do on the day. Give your very best and feel that you are the person that can lead and inspire the group to achieve great things for the club.”

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Mikel Arteta has urged his Arsenal team to “bring it home” as he prepares for Sunday’s League Cup final against Manchester City, desperate to shed the Gunners’ tag as nearly men.

Arsenal are on course for an unprecedented quadruple, nine points clear of second-placed City in the Premier League and with favourable quarter-final draws in the Champions League and FA Cup.

But without a trophy for six years and after three consecutive second-placed finishes in the Premier League, Arteta acknowledged his side must prove they can get over the line.

“When it comes to the crucial moments and when it comes to the moment to attack a trophy and take it and bring it home, that’s when you need your big players to step up and make the difference,” he said at his pre-match press conference.

The Spaniard said the Wembley final would be one of the “defining moments” of Arsenal’s season, expressing his confidence that his side can triumph.

“At the end of the day, it is about whether you win the trophy or not,” he added. “That is the most important thing once you get to the final.

“But in order to be there you have to do a lot of things. There are a lot of things the team has done so far, but we need to prove that point, that’s clear, and it has to be done on the pitch.”

Arteta has transformed Arsenal’s fortunes since leaving his job as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City to take charge at the Emirates in 2019.

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But he has won just one major trophy during his reign — leading his team to FA Cup glory in 2020 at an empty Wembley during coronavirus restrictions.

Guardiola said in his own pre-match press conference his relationship with Arteta had changed over time, but played down talk of any friction now they are title rivals.

The Arsenal boss said he is forever grateful for the opportunity he had to learn alongside Guardiola early in his coaching career.

“The fact we are never together and can never spend time together is important in our relationship, but it is not the most important,” said Arteta.

“How I feel about him and the time we had together and what he did for me, the inspiration he’s been… that is never going to change.”

Arteta hopes captain Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber will be fit enough for Wembley after missing the 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in midweek due to injury.

And he refused to confirm who would start in goal.

Guardiola said James Trafford will keep his place for City instead of number one Gianluigi Donnarumma after starting all his side’s domestic cup games this season.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has been Arsenal’s goalkeeper in domestic cup competitions, but plays second fiddle to David Raya in the Premier League and Champions League.

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Mikel Arteta challenged spluttering Arsenal to start writing their “own destiny” in Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham after losing control of the Premier League title race.

Arteta’s side held a commanding lead in their bid to win a first English title since 2004, but the leaders have allowed second-placed Manchester City to close within five points of top spot.

City, who face Newcastle on Saturday, have a game in hand over Arsenal and will host the Gunners in a crucial clash in April.

If Pep Guardiola’s team win their remaining 12 matches, they will take the title regardless of Arsenal’s results in their last 11 games.

It is a painful scenario for Arteta, who presided over Arsenal’s blown leads in title races won by City in 2023 and 2024.

The Gunners have finished as runners-up for the last three seasons, and their latest untimely stumble has raised pointed questions about their ability to cope with the pressure of the title race.

But Mikel Arteta is adamant his players can handle the tension, as long as they embrace the opportunity to make history.

“What I have seen is a tremendous reaction again. When you lose points with the last kick of the game, in an unpredictable manner, nobody can really understand that. But this is football,” he told reporters on Friday.

“Life moves on, there’s nothing we can do. It is about what happens next.

“That was a chapter. In chapter 27, we draw against Wolves. In the next one it is about how we write our own destiny going forward.”

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Arsenal have squandered the lead in their last two matches, drawing 1-1 with Brentford and 2-2 at bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

Failing to beat Wolves after establishing a two-goal lead was especially painful, with a mix-up between keeper David Raya and defender Gabriel Magalhaes sparking Tom Edozie’s stoppage-time equaliser.

“The immediate reaction is tough. It was a shock to the system. We wanted to win and we couldn’t and we have to move on,” Arteta said.

“But we have clear instructions. We have to live in the present. The present is beautiful, we are exactly where we want to be in every competition.”

Arsenal have won just two of their last seven league games, but troubled Tottenham are in even worse form, with no wins in their previous eight top-flight matches.

Tottenham are just five points above the relegation zone, and interim boss Igor Tudor will be taking charge for the first time following Thomas Frank’s sacking.

Arsenal thrashed Tottenham 4-1 in November, but Arteta is wary about facing a team with a new manager.

“I think it has happened seven times already to us this season,” he said.

“We will have the capacity to adapt, but the main focus is on what we have to do to win.

“It’s the match we have next and the one we cannot wait to play. We have to show up on Sunday.”

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Mikel Arteta said Arsenal are “actively looking” for a replacement for the injured Mikel Merino in the closing hours of the transfer window.

Merino, who has been a valuable contributor in midfield and attack for the Gunners, could miss the rest of the season with a fractured right foot that requires surgery.

Arteta stressed how significant the Spain international’s absence as Arsenal compete to win four trophies.

The Arsenal boss hopes his club can come up with a new signing to fill the void before Monday’s 1900GMT deadline.

“We are actively looking at options and we will continue to do that,” Arteta told reporters on Monday.

“When you lose a big player like this with four months to go, and all the competitions to play for, you need to look and we need to do everything we possibly can to see if a player is available.”

The loss of Merino has been tempered by the return to fitness of Germany forward Kai Havertz.

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There was further good news for Arsenal as Arteta revealed an injury that kept England winger Bukayo Saka out of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Leeds is only minor.

“Today, he (Saka) was better. Let’s see how he responds. It doesn’t look like something too serious,” Arteta added ahead of Tuesday’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea

“Whether he is available for tomorrow or the weekend, we will have to wait and see.”

Arsenal remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple.

Arteta’s side hold a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, have progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League and face third-tier Wigan in the FA Cup fourth round.

But the Spaniard is focused on reaching the League Cup final as his side’s first opportunity to end a six-year trophy drought.

Arsenal hold a 3-2 lead over Chelsea ahead of the second leg on home soil at the Emirates Stadium.

“The next one is always the most important one. And it is the closest, at least, to reach a final,” said Arteta.

“We really need to create the atmosphere, the energy, the belief that we’re going to do it.”

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Mikel Arteta promised that Arsenal would play with “courage and conviction” for the rest of the season after their surprise defeat by Manchester United slowed their Premier League title charge.

Arsenal, who remain four points clear of second-placed Manchester City, host Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty in the Champions League on Wednesday, aiming to complete the tournament’s league phase with a perfect record.

The Gunners, who have seven wins out of seven in Europe this season, have already secured a place in the last 16, meaning they avoid a potentially tricky play-off next month.

They are also still alive in both domestic cup competitions.

Arsenal boss Arteta was asked at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday about his team’s reaction to Sunday’s surprise 3-2 defeat against United — a first home loss of the season.

“The reaction has been excellent,” said the Spaniard. “We took a moment to bring the temperature down, to pause and to reflect and ask two questions.

“One is, how do we feel and how do I feel myself? And then, how we are going to live the next four months?

“And it was so encouraging and beautiful because what came out of that is very simple — we have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions.”

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Arsenal’s slip-up against Michael Carrick’s resurgent United followed 0-0 draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

But Arteta promised that the Gunners would be fearless as they chase a first Premier League title since 2004.

“In the next four months, we are going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and with the conviction that we are going to win it,” he said.

“And this is going to be the mindset and where we are going to put the energy and I’m just hoping that everybody that is related to this club, especially our supporters, jump on the boat.”

William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are not available to face Almaty due to “slight niggles” while Mikel Merino and Declan Rice are suspended.

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Mikel Arteta has hinted that he is ready to hand Gabriel Jesus his first start in nearly a year in Arsenal’s League Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

The Premier League leaders host Oliver Glasner’s side at the Emirates, desperate to end the club’s six-year trophy drought.

Jesus scored a hat-trick in Arsenal’s last-eight win against Palace last season before they fell to Newcastle in the semi-finals.

The Brazil international then spent 11 months on the sidelines after he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

But, following three substitute appearances, Jesus could be unleashed from the start against Palace, with Arteta set to rotate a side that faces six matches in 20 days.

Arteta said former Manchester City forward Jesus, 28, was ready to start.

“You can see now, not only in games but every day in training how much he wants it so he’s going to deserve a chance soon,” he said.

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“It has been a real intense journey. When he joined us he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the team and he gave something very different to what we already had and was very impressive.

“Then he had some very bad injuries, and that hasn’t allowed him to have the consistency we need from a very important player.

“He is back and his fighting spirit, his desire to always prepare in the best way is unbelievable. The team is together now and we need to use it.”

Jesus could take the place of Viktor Gyokeres, who, despite scoring from the penalty spot in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Everton on Saturday, has not found the back of the net from open play in his past six appearances.

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Mikel Arteta warned that player welfare should be the primary concern for football’s rule-makers as Arsenal’s fixture pile-up threatens to put his team at risk.

Arteta’s side are set to face Crystal Palace in the League Cup quarter-finals on December 16.

But that would mean Palace facing three matches in just five days, and the FA Cup holders are hopeful of moving their match at the Emirates Stadium to the following week.

It is understood Arsenal’s preferred option is for the last-eight clash to remain on December 16 to avoid exacerbating the hectic Christmas schedule.

Arsenal are currently in a run of seven matches in just 22 days, with the Premier League leaders heading to Burnley on Saturday before returning to Champions League action at Slavia Prague on Tuesday.

“Every decision that we make in terms of a fixture has to be guided on two main things; players’ welfare, and then supporters, and that is it, and the rest has to come very, very far away from that. And we should never forget that principle,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.

“If we have that big piece of paper with those two principles there in front before we make any decision, all of us in our industry, we won’t get there. If we don’t and we just ignore that, then anything is possible.”

Manchester City midfielder Rodri said last season that players could strike amid an increase in fixtures.

Pressed on whether the talk of player strikes could resume as the fixtures mount, Arteta said: “If we look after the players’ welfare and our supporters, we are never going to get to that point.

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“We have to close the window there. We cannot open that window. It has to be closed. It’s our most precious value.”

Arsenal secured their place in the League Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Brighton on Wednesday.

That made it eight successive victories in all competitions for the red-hot Gunners.

They will travel to Burnley with a four-point lead at the top of the table and a defence that has not been breached for six matches.

Arsenal are hoping to win the English title for the first time since 2004 after finishing as runners-up for the last three seasons.

Asked if there is a feeling within his camp that Arsenal are unstoppable at the moment.

“No, because you always have that sense of urgency, and you see the complications and the challenges that the next opponent is going to bring you, and we know that, and every three days, we have very little time to train and prepare,” Arteta said.

“It’s a big opportunity that we have ahead of us, but we have to continue with that level of consistency, and we know how difficult that is.

“We’re going to have to again hit those performance levels.”

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New recruit Eberechi Eze will create “magic moments” and take Arsenal to a different level, according to Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.

Eze was presented to the Emirates crowd shortly before Arsenal’s 5-0 thrashing of Leeds that took the north London club to the top of the Premier League table early in the season.

The England international has signed a four-year contract in a deal that could be worth up to £68 million ($92 million) after Arsenal scuppered his proposed move to their arch north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The 27-year-old did not arrive in time to face Leeds, but with both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard sustaining injuries in Arsenal’s second win in as many matches, Eze could be handed his Gunners debut against reigning champions Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.

“He (Eze) has the capacity to create these magic moments,” said Arteta.

“He can do it from different positions, different situations. He’s got that flair and he’s got that charisma about him that is very contagious.

“It shows how much we want to take this club to a different level. His talent is unquestionable. He’s experienced in this league. The personality is unbelievable.

“He can play different positions. We know he can play as an attacking midfielder, right or left. He doesn’t care. And you can tell that what happened on that pitch (before the game) meant the world to him, so I am delighted to have him.”

Eze becomes Arsenal’s seventh signing of the summer transfer window, where they have now spent some £250 million following the arrivals of Viktor Gyokeres, Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, and Noni Madueke.

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Arsenal have finished second in the Premier League for each of the past three seasons and last won a trophy five years ago.

But Eze’s signing is a further indication of their determination to end a 22-year wait for the Premier League title.

His return to boyhood club Arsenal comes with Eze assured of a place in Crystal Palace history after scoring the winning goal in the Eagles’ FA Cup final victory against Manchester City in May to secure the south London club’s first major trophy.

Saka and Odegaard sustained hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively, against Leeds.

Saka missed three-and-a-half months of last season after surgery on his right hamstring –on Saturday, he injured his left hamstring- while club captain Odegaard was also absent for 12 matches with an ankle problem as injuries derailed Arsenal’s quest for silverware.

The duo will undergo scans on Sunday to discover the extent of their latest setbacks, with Arteta adding: “You just have to see the amount of minutes that the team played in 2023/24. You could name the starting XI.

“Last year, it was a bit different because of the amount of injuries we had, and the start to this season has not been great in that sense.

“But we are much more equipped, without a doubt – and that’s necessary. If you want to compete at this level and be very dominant, there is not any other option.”

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