Every word from Mikel Arteta's pre-Fulham presser

Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the press ahead of our trip to Fulham in the Premier League this weekend.

Our boss spoke about facing the Cottagers, returning from the international break and much more at his press conference at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.

Read his full transcript below, with a video of the pre-match presser to follow:

on Martin Odegaard’s fitness:

It will be weeks. There's no definite date for his return, but he's evolving well. It's very unlucky, what's happening with him and his injuries this season, but I think he will be back in a few weeks.

on when he might return to action:

It could be [after the next international break], but we’ll have to see how he progresses, how the knee’s healing, how he manages after the next steps in his rehab, so it's too early to give an answer.

on why Martin Zubimendi didn’t train yesterday:

All the players come from different countries, with different amounts of games and minutes played and we believe that it was the right thing to do. He played two games again. His load has been really high recently and he needed an extra day. He will be available.

on Ben White’s fitness:

Yes, very similar. We are monitoring all the players and giving a specific menu to each of them to make sure that they are in the best condition.

on Piero Hincapie being back in training:

He will be training today again with us and if everything is right, he will be available as well.

on Piero potentially getting a chance to play regularly:

We really want that. He's a player who is going to help us a lot, he's going to bring something different to the team. We need to get him going, get him to the speed that is necessary to compete at this level and gradually to where we want.

on how Noni Madueke is getting on:

He's getting closer as well. He’s going to start very soon to do some running and stuff and then again, let’s see how that reacts.

on when Kai Havertz could be avaialble again:

It's very difficult, there's still a lot to do in his rehab. He's really pushing it. We know Kai and that's why we love him so much, but we have to wait and see. I think we are doing some really good work with him again. He wants to break every timeline, I'm sure, but that's why we have to protect him and make sure that when he comes back, he comes back for the long term.

on being one of the longest-serving Premier League managers:

I'm very privileged and grateful, as always. And to be present on the day because we know that our job is the only thing that requires it.

on getting a win at Fulham for the first time since 2023:

[Newcastle] is a good example, West Ham as well. In the last two seasons we lost against them at home, so that’s an opportunity tomorrow. We know that it's a really tough place to go, they're a very well-coached team, and we're going to have to be at our best tomorrow.

on our defensive record:

That's a platform to build performances and results, that's for sure. We want to consistently be able to defend at that level. In order to do that is how well we attack and how committed everybody is to doing what we have to do. If we continue to do that, it's going to give us a big chance to get what we want.

on the confidence our defensive record gives the full team:

I think it tells about the organisation of the team and the consistency that we are showing in many aspects. The more we do those things in a lot of parameters throughout the season and establish ourselves in those categories at the highest level, the bigger the chance will be to achieve what we want.

on the leadership group within the club:

It makes me proud, not only here but with their national teams. Every time I talk to the national team coaches, the way they talk about our players and the roles that they've been given in the last few years as well, that tells you the leadership, the accountability and how much they trust them. Martin [Odegaard] is out, but we have various kinds of leaders in the team now who have the ownership and accountability to deliver what is required. Martin will continue to have a role, when he's not playing as well, to push and to support and keep the demands high in the team.

on his relationship with LA Rams head coach Sean McVay:

Sean is someone that I admire a lot. Not only for what he's achieved, but the way he is as a coach, as a person, the way he presents himself, and I learn a lot of things from him. So yeah, we'll be connected [while they're in London]. It's going to be a really tight schedule for both teams because we have the Champions League coming up on Tuesday, but it's great to have them. It's great to have Stan and Josh here as well with us. I think it's a good opportunity to connect everybody.

on if he prefers being top or chasing the leaders in the Premier League:

I prefer to win every game. The only thing that we can do is to perform really well on Saturday and win the game. As you said, it's super early. It's not the moment to start looking at that. It's more the moment now to look at performances, to look at ways that we can sustain certain things that we're doing and improve others. That's the only way, and that increases the chances when it matters, when it comes to March and April, to be in the best possible position. Then when you ask me that question, I will tell you for sure, I want to be at the top.

on the biggest positives from the first 10 games:

A lot of things. There have been two very different blocks. In the second block, because of some issues that we had, we had to increase our availability in the squad. That was one of the main things to do. The impact that anybody could have in the game, whether he was playing or finishing, or he wasn't even in the squad. I think we did that really, really well. And then we had a few things that we wanted - to be more unpredictable, to threaten the opposition more, to be super consistent in all the defensive aspects of the game as well, and we've gone to a different level. In the next block, can we sustain a lot of those things and increase others? That's the objective.

on Gabriel Martinelli’s form for club and country:

He's doing what we expect from everybody to do. When he’s got the minutes, the opportunity to deliver and to impact the game and especially the results. And then his attitude overall, his behaviour, the way he trains, the way he carries himself, his willingness to learn constantly. There are many examples throughout the team, but I'm very pleased to see Gabi going to the national team and scoring and performing well. That’s all good signs because when they come back, their spirit is good, their confidence is good, so everything is easier.

on Declan Rice’s performances this season:

I think he's adapting to the qualities that we have and as well a certain chemistry, a certain relationship that you notice. And with eight new players in the squad, different things emerge.

on what Viktor Gyokeres gives to the team:

He brings so much and watching the games back, I'm very pleased with what he's given to the team. I told him before the first meeting, the nine that I want is a nine that when he doesn't score for six or eight games, he can handle that. If not, you have to go somewhere else because the pressure is gone, the expectation is going to be there. So if you put a number nine shirt for Arsenal, you have to be able to say, OK, six games, don't score. I'm a different player, I start to act in a different way. I want much more of the same of what he's doing. Once we have those opportunities, put them in. I'm sure it's going to happen.

on the balance between left and right-footed players in the squad:

It's a really good balance. It's a very rare thing to have and we have thought about it a lot. But it is a coincidence, certain things, because, for example, our three academy graduates, three of them are left-footed. That's quite rare. I have three sons, two of them are left-footed, which is quite rare as well. But they are beautiful to watch, that's certain, and they give you something different.

on never playing home games abroad:

I don't decide that, so for me to say never, I don't want to use that word. Let's see if there are other people who have to decide that. If you tell me what you prefer with the schedule that we have, let's play as many games as possible in London, please.

on the scouting of Viktor Gyokeres and the qualities he brings:

Going back in his history with Viktor, it's a very different one. The beginning, when he wasn't even playing much, and then how he evolved his career. Then in the last year, it was very difficult to find a gap like that because I think he scored in every single match almost. But just preparing something, the context is going to change. It's part of football, you see the history of the number nines, you're going to have moments like that. Hopefully it's through playing, not that you are injured. So his robustness is something that’s really good. I'm really happy with him, I have full confidence and when you look at him every single day, how much he wants it. That's exactly what you expect.

on how he judges Viktor's all-round game:

The first thing is that's going to give you something extra. Viktor has so many things that are probably not that noticeable. But he also creates an environment and space and solutions for a lot of the players around him, and with the talent that we have in the team, I'm sure that everybody, including him, will benefit from that.

on switching players to different positions during matches:

I think having that unpredictability and that flexibility can add a lot of value. It's true that you need certain consistencies as well in certain positions and not all the players are that naturally confident or comfortable to adapt to a different position. But some of them did, and they did really well. But it's just finding when is the right moment, the right time in the game to make those changes and then it has to work.

on if that’s something he’s wanted to do for a while:

You have to feel that now they are ready to do it because different positions have different requirements physically, emotionally, in relation to the gameplan. You change a player two or three times in a position in a game, which means that he needs to fulfil three roles in all aspects of the game. That's a lot of information to process for a player, and some are more confident and more comfortable than others in doing that.

on Piero Hincapie’s role in the team:

What you're going to see is his aggression, his determination. He's a player who goes full gas to every single action, especially in defending. And with the ball, whether he plays a left centre-back or a full-back, a player who is very clean on the ball. Again, someone who really wants to penetrate, whether it's with the ball, his positioning, and it will bring a different character and emotion to the team.

on if he spoke to Xabi Alonso about Piero before signing him:

Yes, for sure, I had to. I mean, someone like him that I know so well, trust him and who had him for a few years, it's very valuable information to have. He was super complimentary of him for many different reasons and it was good to confirm what I saw, and some of the things that you obviously learn from that conversation that you probably weren't very aware of.

on preparing for Fulham after not winning there on the past two visits:

You always learn from that. It's true that in the end they will have certain new players, the state of the teams and where we are. It is different to last season as well. And then the context of the game changes, especially last year. Immediately, when we are in total control of the game, in one moment, we concede the goal, and then it's a different game to be played. But we learn from it. Obviously, we want to make it different, especially the results that we had in the last few years and do our best to achieve it.

on the development of Mikel Merino’s goalscoring abilities:

The credit is with him because he had those qualities. I think positioning players and insisting on certain qualities can really impact and maximise the resources of the team. It's something that we made him aware of, basically, and then his mindset. He’s a player who is right attacking and left attacking in different roles as well, and then as a nine, he has that. He always had that intuition, that quality to finish actions, especially one-touch inside the box, and now he's doing it very regularly. I think he's enjoying it.

on what he learns from other coaches in other sports:

A lot of things. From handball, from rugby, from tennis, from ice hockey, it's a lot. And not only from the sport, but the sport played in different countries. So it's not the same rugby here as rugby in Australia, and that's something that fascinates me. It's not only about the sport, it's about the culture, about managing. If they've been in the job for one season or 13 seasons, it's a completely different job. So it's always that willingness to learn, that curiosity to learn.

on the importance of his relationship with the owners:

It's very important because in the end we have to share the vision and especially their ambition, and the ambition is very clear. We are here to win, and to win major trophies, and every sign that they are giving us, every conversation, that's the main topic, and they are incredibly experienced in sport. They've won almost everything and what we want to do is to be here now.

On Martin Odegaard’s mental strength:

I think he's in a really good place, but obviously disappointed how it happened. The good thing is that he does everything that he possibly can to prevent injuries. The injuries that he had are very, very difficult to prevent, so that's something that you have to take the weight off yourself, and that's it. Then he cannot afford to be in a different mindset. He's the captain, he needs to drive the standard, he needs to be the example. When you don't have an option, you are a dad. You have to look after your kids, you have to be there. You are good, you are tired, you have to be there. That's his responsibility in the team.

on having the squad to deal with the injuries:

Yes, for sure, but that doesn't mean that Martin isn’t a key player for us. He's a very, very important player. We haven't had him almost since the start of the season, like other players, unfortunately. But we are coping because we have strength in the squad, because we have played with other qualities that they are still performing really well, and that's what we have to do. But we need to make sure that we have him back because we will be a better team.

on being labelled as favourites for the title:

I don't know. Then we have to ask how accurate it was one, four or eight weeks ago. So we don't know. I'm sure a result will change that in an even better percentage for us, or worse, depending on what happens. Let's focus on what we can control.

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