Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on the importance of the academy and giving youngsters a chance to play as they prepare to face Brighton and Hove Albion
Sobha Realty training centre, London Colney, UK
Sobha Realty training centre, London Colney, UK
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00:00Is that something you wanted to change at Arsenal, giving more youth players as a target
00:09this season, or has it just happened because of injuries?
00:17The first thing we want is to look in the academy. Can we get what we want in the academy?
00:23That's option number one. If we don't have it there, then we have to look elsewhere.
00:27We have to develop our players to different positions and make them more versatile.
00:33We have to go in the market and recruit.
00:36I think those two players are playing because they deserve it, not because of injuries.
00:41We had other options to play other players and they are playing because they deserve to play.
00:46You come from probably the greatest academy in world football.
00:49I'm not going to ask you to compare the two, Arsenal and Barcelona,
00:52but is there things you've taken from Barcelona that you've tried to implement in Arsenal's academy?
01:00I would love to, but the regulations here are very different.
01:03A lot of the things that in my opinion are the most impactful things, we cannot do them here.
01:10How do you see Arsenal's academy developing with you as manager over the next year?
01:18There are many more coming through and especially that they feel that they have a chance.
01:26At any moment, anybody, and the academy means players and staff,
01:30because the first thing we do with the staff is exactly the same.
01:33Everybody has the ambition, the purpose and the intention to prepare
01:38and to show that at any moment they can come and be part of our team.
01:42Is the future bright for the academy and the progress you hope will come from the players you've got?
01:47I think so. We've put in a lot of work and the team have done a lot of great work and we are on it.
01:53We know the level as well and with the system that we have at the moment,
01:58from where they are playing to where they have to come, the gap is huge.
02:03We are trying to find ways to make sure that they can fulfil that gap as quickly as possible.