Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
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Mikel Arteta has expressed his full support for his Arsenal players after they organised a team-bonding dinner this week and he’s encouraged them to do it again.
Following their emphatic 4–0 victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, the Gunners squad gathered for a celebratory meal at the Mayfair restaurant Pirana on Wednesday night.
Arteta revealed that the initiative came from the team’s leadership group, who approached him to seek permission for the outing. The Arsenal boss said he was delighted by their decision, viewing it as a positive sign of unity and togetherness within the squad.
“I love it, because playing every three days with the other international games, they spend so much time together,” he said. “They came to me and said: ‘We’d like to have a dinner together’. I was like: ‘Really? Okay, go. Have fun and enjoy it’.
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“That means that they want to spend time with themselves and be sometimes away from the building and I think that’s something really, really positive. Ask the leadership group [if there will be more dinners]. If the time is well and they behave the way they do it, there’s no problem.”
The Arsenal squad enjoyed a team bonding night out at London restaurant, Pirana yesterday. pic.twitter.com/JGax6lYFd0
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) October 23, 2025
Arsenal’s camaraderie off the pitch has mirrored their impressive performances on it. The North London side currently sit atop the Premier League table heading into Sunday’s clash with Crystal Palace, buoyed by a defensive record that has seen them concede only three goals in 12 matches, the best in the club’s history at this stage of a season.
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Arteta credits that defensive solidity as a crucial foundation for Arsenal’s title ambitions, echoing a philosophy long embraced by some of football’s greatest managers.
“When you look at his titles and who talks about this topic, and in the manner and the reason why, you have to really put that as a big message in your office,” he said. “Because you know that gives you one of the biggest platforms to win titles. It’s something that he did consistently, so he’s right.
“We defend to score more goals. We defend to attack better. That’s the purpose, that’s the reason why we defend.”
With team spirit high and performances matching ambition, Arteta’s blend of discipline, freedom, and trust appears to be paying off both on and off the pitch.
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