In August of last year, Arteta praised the excellent work done by the club's academy, saying: "It shows the hard work that has been done at the academy over the years.
"Especially because these players are coming into the first team and performing at the highest level with no professional experience whatsoever. And that's very different from other players at big clubs who are playing at 17, 18, 19, 20 years old with a lot of previous experience, playing in various teams.
"So it once again shows what the academy has done, the preparation of these young players, their maturity, and also the quality we have in this squad to support young players, so they feel comfortable and immediately perform at the highest level. So it's a credit to everyone at the club."