When questioned about the balance between giving youth a chance and competing for silverware, Arteta was uncompromising.
"It's part of us," Arteta said of Arsenal's academy system. "At the end what has to define this football club is to seek for excellence and seek for the best, regardless if you're coming from the academy or abroad."
He continued: "If we can have players from Hale End, much better because the identity is there. We grow with them and they know exactly what we're looking for. But at the end they have to earn it. Not for a week, not for a month, for years. Like anybody else, it doesn't matter what department or role you have in the club. You have to sustain performance and that has to be at the very highest level if we want to win and be where we want to be."