In the second half of his pre-Fulham press conference, Mikel Arteta discussed Emile Smith Rowe’s summer departure, Arsenal’s strength from corners, and why he believes his team still has significant room for improvement. He also explained how boosting the squad’s overall ‘value’ became a central goal of his project.
On letting Emile Smith Rowe leave the club…
It was a special one, for sure, but when you look somebody in their eyes and he really believes that it’s the best move for him, that it’s the right time for him to move, that he really needs another challenge, at the end you have to understand that, you have to show your gratitude and move on, that’s it.
On playing with Alex Iwobi and the midfielder’s form for Fulham…
I always liked him a lot. I always thought that he had tremendous quality, a very special talent, a talent that has the capacity to play in different spaces and positions. I’m really happy to see him playing at that level.
On how close his team are to being ‘kings of everything’?
Very far. I don’t think there’s ever been a team that has achieved that. Do we have the best atmosphere in the world at the stadium? Not yet.Are we on that trajectory, have we improved a lot? Yeah. Do we have the best academy in the world? Not yet. Do we have the best mentality in the world? Not yet. We want to achieve that. Are we the most physical team in the world? No. Do we have the best individuals to play magic moments every three days? No, we are on it.
On whether it’s actually possible to reach that level or just something to strive for…
I think that way, you know, we’re going to score three magic moment goals every game. That’s the objective, that’s the project. We score one, it’s good, we want two, and then three. It’s not going to happen overnight. But it’s a lot of the things that we put targets on, is it impossible? No. They have become a reality.
On whether he admires the set-pieces of other teams…
No, I’ve never admired a team for that. Admired? No, I wouldn’t use that word. There have been some really good teams, yeah. I don’t know, I have to think. Arsenal, let’s say that.
On whether there’s anything else, like corners, where his side can make fundamental improvements…
Yeah, for sure. Obviously, when we are monitoring the team, and understanding not only the team and the squad, one of the main things was the value of our squad. We want to be the kings of squad value in the world. Last year, I think we were probably the best in Europe. Before, we were so far. We need to do a lot of things to generate value in this squad, to generate value in a lot of things that we do. So, we need to have a project and we need to work on that. And we did it for three or four years, and last year, it was the first time or the second time that we had the highest value in any squad in Europe. That’s an objective, and now it’s a reality. So, it’s great to see that. There’s a lot of people involved, putting effort into things, and then it happens, but you have to think that way.
In what sense he means value…
In every sense, what they produce [on the pitch], how they can perform, what is the actual [monetary] value in that market, what is the sustainability of that squad, in what kind of phase is each player, the squad, the starting XI, the academy, what is the pathway, there is a lot of things that you have to plan out, because you want to make a sustainable performance, and, as well, the capacity to constantly evolve as a team under the demands of this game. And we are doing it.
On dropping five points against Fulham last year and wanting to put that right…
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, you know, because the opposition plays and they merit to get points, you haven’t been the best on that day, it can be from other factors as well. This season it has already happened. So that’s it, what is gone, unfortunately, is gone, learn from it, make sure that you are better equipped and prepared for the next one, and then it’s about delivering when you have the chance to do it.
On whether Nicolas Jover is enjoying the attention and praise he’s received…
I don’t know, obviously, the fulfilment of his work, it’s very recognisable, and he needs to be very proud of that. Not only him as well, but a lot of people that put a lot of effort into preparation, into a lot of things, starting with data, with analysis, with video, in training sessions, a lot of the staff that participates on that. And then the players that are the main protagonists at the end to deliver something. Saliba didn’t score the nicest goal of his career the other day, but look at the way he celebrates, it’s unbelievable, look at how the crowd celebrates. Those ugly goals are exactly the same as the most beautiful one that he scored against Bournemouth, same value, same emotion, or even higher. So that tells you the story.
On creating fear in opponents from set pieces…
I don’t know, I don’t know how they will feel about it, what they do, that’s not in our control. We have to control the things that we can do, especially the ones that we are doing really well, and the things that we can improve. And in that area, again, we have still big margins.