Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wakes up and checks to see if Sporting Director Edu has given him any transfer news
30/08/2024
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
30/08/2024
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
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00:00Have they changed some of the plans you may have had in the transfer window?
00:07No, obviously we are creating a squad and building a squad that has to create a space
00:12for that talent to emerge and have the roles that they deserve and they are earning that
00:18right certainly and obviously the gap is so big for them to play with the first team in
00:24the competitions and the demands that we have right now but so far they are fulfilling that
00:29gap and they are doing really well.
00:31So it's something you have to be conscious of to not bring someone new in who might block
00:36someone like Ethan or Myles for example?
00:37For sure.
00:38On the deadline there, do you wake up this morning with excitement in your stomach?
00:43Do you wake up and look forward to it?
00:45The first thing I do is I check the phone and say, Edu, no news?
00:49Okay, so far maybe good news and that's it and then let's see what happens.
00:56Regarding Mikel's injury, you must be devastated for him but how upset was he?
01:02A player who joins a club must be really excited for that to happen.
01:06How much consolation did he need when you speak to him afterwards?
01:09He had the incident and he carried on playing and training and at some point we were looking
01:14and it doesn't look right.
01:15So that tells you how much he wanted.
01:17He didn't want to accept that that was happening in that moment but actually it's what happened
01:22and let's use the time that we have right now to make sure that he's familiar with everything
01:26that we do, how we live, what we expect of him, how is the team dynamics.
01:32He will be in every meeting as well so we will use that time in the best possible way
01:36and hopefully in a few weeks he will be ready.
01:39Can I just ask about Ben Wright?
01:41He wasn't in the squad yesterday and he asked, he said, to report in his call.
01:46Have you spoken to Ben at all about him recently?
01:48No, not recently.
01:49And do you expect this to continue, that he will just focus on Arsenal and not worry about anything?
01:55That's totally his decision.
01:59On Ramsdale, obviously last season there was a saga of Rye versus Ramsdale
02:04as to who was going to start and obviously he's not been in the team,
02:07he's not started for a while for us and now he's gone.
02:10What are your thoughts on his time at Arsenal?
02:12Because obviously he's had some big moments for you guys over the last few years.
02:15Do you think games like Arsenal could show the goalkeeper he actually is?
02:19I have really positive memories from the play that we signed,
02:24the excitement that he brought, what he actually did in a very short period of time.
02:29He earned the respect and love of everybody at the club and externally.
02:34He was part of the national team and he helped us to earn some success
02:40and now we have to make a decision.
02:43It's best for the three parties, we've done it and now we have to move on.
02:46This is football.
02:47Financially, as a club, you've obviously sold Ramsdale and Ketia,
02:50but soon to be Ketia and Neil Smith-Rowe.
02:53That's about 90 million.
02:54As a club, it must be, from a financial point of view, quite good to sell to your academy players
02:59that aren't getting into the academy graduates that will make the team.
03:02To get that kind of money is quite a good coup for us, isn't it?
03:05Yeah, because there are a lot of decisions behind us and a lot of decisions at the club,
03:10the board, Edu and the coaches have to do and then the players.
03:15You have to develop them, you have to give them the right time
03:18and they have increased their value, which means they have improved as players
03:21and they have a lot of interest from a lot of clubs.
03:24That's something positive, that at least if we cannot continue with them
03:28or they want to find a different journey in their careers,
03:31they have the ability as well to financially use that capacity to keep improving the squad.
03:37Ed?
03:38Just to clarify, who did Mourinho have a collision with in training?
03:43A player. With a player.
03:45I didn't say specifically, sorry.
03:47I think, no? Maybe I did.
03:50Did I? Apologise then. Gabby.
03:53If I say Gabby, it's Gabby already.
03:57On the transfer window, earlier in the window,
03:59you were talking about how difficult it's been in this window to do transfers
04:04because of various reasons.
04:06Has that been the case until the end?
04:08Has it been particularly hard to do a really big signing this summer?
04:12Yeah, because there were a lot of moving pieces
04:15and timing was very tricky to manage.
04:18But we were really lucky because the players that we wanted to sign,
04:21they waited for us, they said no to other options that they had
04:25and we managed to bring them in.
04:27So that was crucial, I think.
04:29And is that the case at all?
04:30Obviously you've got this money in the bank now,
04:32are you prepared to wait for the right signing?
04:35Maybe not this window, but the next window and even next summer.
04:39I don't know how much money is in the bank.
04:41We just try to obviously explain what we need,
04:45what we want to accomplish, what we want.
04:47And the club, every time, they want to try to facilitate
04:51what we are looking for when we try to explain the right reasons to it.
04:54OK, finally, Tom.
04:56With the reno, is it more disappointing for you as a manager
05:00that he's out because it was the new signing?
05:02Or was it easier just to say we'll just carry on with what we've got
05:05like you did with Tim Bernas?
05:07Well, it is very disappointing because you can feel the pain of the player as well.
05:11And yeah, we fought so hard for three months to get the player over the line
05:16and the club has made a huge effort to bring him in
05:19and on day one for that to happen, it's a huge blow.
05:23But his reaction has been exceptional, straight away.
05:26We've signed him for many years, not for a few weeks,
05:29and we need to move on.
05:30These things can happen, it was very unfortunate, but it's our reality.
05:34OK, everyone. Thanks a lot.
05:39Can I get my gloves?
05:42And boots.
05:44We play, we only can.
05:53LAUGHTER