Here is every word Mikel Arteta said to the media ahead of Arsenal’s match against Manchester United
14:38, 23 Jan 2026
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference ahead of clash with Manchester United
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference ahead of clash with Manchester United(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta faced the media at the Sobha Realty Training Centre before his Arsenal side host Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners will be looking to maintain their buffer at the top to a Man City side managed by Pep Guardiola, who described the Gunners currently as the best team in the world.
Arteta was asked for his thoughts on his former mentor’s comments. In addition, he provided the latest team news, with both Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie having been spotted in training.
Ethan Nwaneri is also expected to be announced as a loan signing at Marseille, and Arteta gave a great description of what the experience will be like for him.
Here is every word from the pre-match press conference:
I was just at open training just now. I t looks like good news. Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie are back on the training pitch. Are they ready for Sunday?
Yeah, we obviously have another training session, so we'll see tomorrow after that. Assess everybody and a major decision, first of all, in the squad.
No fresh injury worries from the Inter game?
No, after Inter, we had no issues reported.
Just on a selection headache that you might have now, and a welcome one I'm guessing, with Gabriel Jesus, Viktor Gyokeres and the returning Kai Havertz, something that you wanted maybe from the start of this season, isn't it?
Yes, we were waiting for that and with the amount of games that are coming up, they're all going to have opportunities and minutes, obviously, so great to have them back and especially to have them in good form.
I've asked you this before about Victor actually, in that he had to start the season, effectively, without Jesus and Kai Havertz. Now that they're back, how much do you think it's not just going to help Arsenal, but help him as well?
Yeah, well, he started without that, without a pre-season as well, and a lot of minutes and responsibility on him. And now the fact that we have other options as well, I think it's something really positive, especially for the squad. And you could see the other day, Jesus was scoring two goals, Viktor coming in and making an impact to win the game.
Sunday, we'll see you come up against Manchester United and Michael Carrick. How much of a tougher proposition do you think that game is compared to maybe two or three weeks ago?
Yeah, well obviously, Michael coming in is going to bring new ideas. Always the intensity rises up. You could see in the derby in Manchester the kind of behaviours and the game that they played.
So, yeah, we expect that we'll talk much and we'll adapt to that for sure. But we are at home and we know how important that game is for us.
I just asked you about Ethan Nwaneri. We know he's out in Marseille. It looks like it is going to be an agreed deal with Marseille for the rest of the season.
From your perspective, how hard a decision was it and what were the key factors behind it?
Yeah, well, I think the deal is quite close. But, yeah, it's something that we constantly have to be monitoring. I think the talented young players that we have, they need minutes.
And in this case, Ethan wasn't having enough minutes. And the last thing that we want is to cut his development because he's such a talent and so on that loves and breathes football. That's his life.
And after having a discussion with him, his father, the agent and the club, we decided that the best thing to do was to leave and go on loan. And then we have to pick the right place. And having all the options, understanding the experience that we had in Marseille as well as with Willy [Saliba], the fact that Roberto [De Zerbi] is there and he's an incredible developer of young talent and is a really courageous man in the way he plays.
By the way, he plays with young talent as well and he has a big track record about that. And I think it fits the way of playing for the qualities that we want to see for Ethan. So, it's going to be a great experience for him.
Mikel, you would have been a teenager, I think, when the Arsenal-Manchester United rivalry was at its absolute fever pitch back in the late 90s, early 2000s. How big an impact did that rivalry have on you and did it make you think, I want to be part of the Premier League because of that particular rivalry that was happening then?
Yeah, you guys sell it so well, especially in Spain. Because you could see the tension and the rivalry and those individual battles that were there as well that make the game really, really special. So, yeah, obviously, the two massive clubs that they've been fighting at the highest level for so many years, and we want to try to have the best possible game to win it.
It has thrown up so many incredible moments, some incredible rivalries as well, that fixture. Does one stand out for you? What was your first memory of it or your most memorable one back from there?
I don't know, there are a lot. But obviously, just before kick-off as well, there were a lot of things that were going on and that's rising up the tension and then obviously the atmosphere in the stadium. But, yeah, some incredible players as well in that era as well that have been absolutely legends of this league. So, that's what makes it so exciting.
On Sunday then, against Manchester United, how different a side do you think you face from what you saw in the derby compared to perhaps before Michael Carrick took charge?
We don't know, every game is different. At the end, the individuals are the ones that make the difference or the ones that make the game in a certain way and we're going to try to be ourselves, be very dominant like we always want to be, impose the game that we want to play and regardless of what we want to do, we want to take the game in the areas that are very good for us.
And you mentioned the other two strikers who are now back, to partner Viktor Gyokeres. Do you think that gives you confidence that he can get back to the form that he showed as to why you wanted to sign him in the first place, in front of goal?
Yeah, it's a lot of things that have to happen for consistently being able to produce those performances and numbers but we have different relationships around him as well because Kai is a player that can play in the two attacking midfielder positions so we can vary in relation to the opponent, their behaviour and the game that we want to play, so that's very good.
And just lastly, you touched on it earlier, you came to a club that you knew like Michael Carrick has done. When you arrived in the first place, I don't want to say give you a head start, but does it make the settling-in period easier or is there more pressure on you?
I don't know. First of all, it's the feeling that I have towards the club because I played here and that's unique, that brings something extra. The fact that you know a lot of people, in my opinion, is something very beneficial and understanding the history of the club from the inside. And then you have to acclimatise and adapt to the circumstances and that's how you do it.
There's some data that's come out that suggests that you're playing currently with the highest defensive line in the league and you're playing against the lowest defensive lines in the league. Do you think the Premier League is almost boiling down to a point that the team that wins the league is the one that's best equipped to break down these low blocks?
Well, it is one of the weapons that is necessary because a lot of teams are doing that but as well we can see more and more the man-to-man game that is conquering not only the Premier League but Europe I think as well. So you need to dominate all the phases in the game if you want to have the chance to win major trophies.
We've seen now that you've scored 10 goals against Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich across those three massive European games. When you see the difference between European and domestic football how different do you have to set up to prepare for each competition?
Yeah, it is very different. First of all because the information that and the time that you have to prepare those games and when you don't know them that much it is a big difference. Then the rules change a little bit in the way the games are managed as well and there is always an element of you are in or out, you need the points, you don't. The results as well and how teams behave can change but so far it has been good.
I just wanted to ask you about Kai. He has obviously been back with the group for a few weeks now but we have not seen him yet in the Premier League or the Champions League. Can you let us know your assessment of where he is in his rehab and how happy you are with his progress so far?
Well, he is very close. Obviously he has been out for a long time, almost a year for different reasons and now we have to be very smart in the manner that we manage that load, the minutes. I am sure in the next few weeks he is going to play minutes.
I cannot tell you which competition because that will depend as well on the game context and it is a context that is positive to throw him in or not with his qualities. It is great that we have him. We can use him in different positions.
We will see him in different positions and we are really happy with that.
And is the aim really to take your time to make sure that when you enter the decisive period of the season March, April, May that you have Kai fit and firing at that point in the season?
Yes, because after a long-term injury it is not only the period that you come in it is what happens in the next six to eight weeks and we want to maintain that and manage that really well so after we can creep it up as you said, when all the big, big games are coming up and we have to make sure that everybody is in the right mind and physically at the highest level.
I know you are not a big social media user but maybe you are aware of the nerves and the tension that is on there among the Arsenal fan base and I think many of us would say that is drifting into the stadium a little bit. You are top of the Champions League not seven points clear in the Premier League. What would be your message to supporters to try to calm the nerves?
It is not about calming, it is about continuing to do what we are doing really well and try to evolve every single day to be better so from their side is to continue doing what they do in the stadium create more energy, more positiveness around the games in each section and if we do that and we create that kind of a scenario we are going to make it more and more difficult to the opponent and that is going to help us to win more games.
Pep Guardiola has just said you are the best team in the world. Do you agree?
I don't know. I think we are the team that wants to be constantly better, that we are doing a lot of things right, but we are far from perfect, and our only aim is to sustain the level that we are doing, but especially in certain areas, try to improve again.
You play against United, you talk a lot about transition how dangerous they are on transition. Is that where you think they will be one loss?
It is one of the areas. They are so good in a lot of departments, it is clear that when that team has the space to run and certain players to activate their runs, they become lethal and you saw that a few days ago in Manchester, but they have a lot of attributes to cause you problems but as well like every team they have their weakness as well.
I mean in terms of that transition play are they the best in the league in that do you think?
I don't know. Historically there has always been something very linked to that and the profile of the players that they always have and as I said in the beginning they are so good at activating those spaces as well I don't know the stats exactly but for sure they are one of the best.
Can I ask about Calafiori? He is obviously so unique in the positions he takes up, particularly in attack. How much has the balance of the team been impacted by missing those specific qualities?
We try to adapt to the qualities of our players, and certain players give us more dynamism and more options in terms of the spaces that they can occupy, where they are comfortable, and how they can link between them. And others are probably more static and more fixed and more positional and Richy's quality is that he can be very fluent in many spaces.
And just one on Bukayo, I think he's 12 matches without a goal, which is the joint obvious of his career at Arsenal. What do you sort of put that down to?
Well, that's a possibility always, but the impact that he has in games around all the attacking process for us, and the attraction that he has in the points as well, and the spaces for other players. We want him obviously scoring and assisting in every match and that has to be the aim at the level that he has. So we keep working on that.
Just going back quite quickly, I remember about a year ago you called him a genetic powerhouse because he's so used to playing and he's stayed fit so much in his career. Do you think mentally after such a long time out it's going to be quite difficult for him to trust his body when he does get back? Is that something he's going to have to work on?
I don't think so because he's a player who has an unbelievable track record, and what happened, it happened. And you have to go through that in your career at least once. He's gone through that period that has enabled him as well to learn more about the game, about his body and probably about how much he loves playing and how difficult his life is when football is not a big part of that.
And he looks really, really hungry, and I'm sure we're going to see a very good version of that.
Just quickly on Ethan, at a similar age in your career you took a big move leaving Barcelona to go to France on loan. The experience that you spoke very fondly of, have you sort of used that and spoken to Ethan about that and think that this time he spends there won't just be good for him on the pitch but often as well in terms of a learning experience?
Yes and not only me but a lot of players that they have these kind of situations and just understanding how he's going to feel because when they talk about the opportunity and the clubs that are interested in you to go the first thing is excitement. You are willing to play, you speak to the manager, he's very keen on you and you're going to play at the weekend and you're going to start a lot of games and this is all very good. But one day you have to go, okay, pack your bags, this is the flight tickets and you have to go to Marseille.
And that is fear, is insecurity, is getting out of a place that has been really comfortable for him around his family but then this is the thing, at the end you have to be thrown there into the sharks in an incredible football culture and atmosphere and club and it's going to make him so much good.
Just going back to that comment from Pep earlier about Arsenal being the best team in the world, I appreciate you probably don't want to say we are the best team in the world but is it a bit confident to come from someone like him because your relationships were documented? So just to hear that must give you a bit of a buzz.
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It's always much better to hear positive things about your team and the work that you are doing but obviously that's a big word especially because in my opinion to be related to that you have to win a lot of things and we haven't but we certainly have the purpose to be the best version that we can be every single day and we're not going to stop until we achieve that. Just one on the game.
Jesus has obviously played so well the other night, is it difficult to leave someone like that out on the team when he scores two goals, plays so well and wants to be reunited to come on Sunday?
Well, it's exactly what you want from the strike, it's the same as Viktor did, but at the end you have to pick what you think is the best team to start against a different opposition, a different context and then how you want to finish the game as well. So tomorrow evening or the morning of the match we will decide it.