Every word Mikel Arteta said on Man City, David Raya, Ollie Watkins transfer and title race

Mikel Arteta was determined not to give too much away before Arsenal play Manchester City in a massive title test for the club. There was some team news to go over, particularly regarding David Raya who missed the game with Girona.

Arteta was also asked about the latest transfer news after reports of a rejected bid for Ollie Watkins was made at the start of the week. There are only a few days left and it was out to the Arsenal boss whether the result against Man City would change anything.

You can read every word from the press conference which football.london was in attendance for here.

Latest on team news, David Raya and Ben White?

Yeah, we are still uncertain. We have another session tomorrow, another 48 hours, so we have to wait and see. Ben is definitely out, he hasn’t trained with us yet, so he’s not going to be available. No others from the game against Girona.

What is Raya’s injury?

It’s a muscular issue, so we have to wait and see.

How optimistic and confident are you that there may be some attacking reinforcements on the way?

I’m very confident with the work that the club is doing, and exploring every single opportunity that we believe can have an impact on the team. If that’s the certainly the case and we can agree on something, we will, and if not, we won’t.

Does it look like you might be able to?

We are trying everything that we can, but I don’t want to give any reassurance or not. It doesn’t depend only on us, so our intention is clear, but the possibilities are affected by three parties.

Do you have the sense that all the stuff that happened towards the end, whether your players have got a bit of a point to prove, there’s a bit of niggle, there’s a bit of unfinished business there as you head into Sunday, and whether or not you can really use that?

The business is to try to be better than them, to beat them, that’s it. The only thing I review is what happened on that match, how competitive it gets is normal when two big teams want to win the game, and nothing else from that side.

And how do you reflect on that game now?

Very disappointed with everything that we did for 98 or 99 minutes, but it’s what it is.

There was a lot of tension between yourself and some of the things that were said about City and Pep. I know that you and Pep afterwards exchanged certain words and conversations in the press conference.

No, only positive ones.

Did you not make a comment that you said you understand or you know what they did? You were there before and Pep took it the wrong way?

Of course I know because I was there for four years, so I know how competitive they are and how willing they are and how they can sustain that competitiveness regardless, they win and win and win again. That’s what I meant

There was some suggestion that your relationship had been affected with some of those comments afterwards. How would you describe that?

No, we wouldn’t be talking on the phone and talking to each other and messaging each other and deserving and willing to have the best. It wouldn’t happen.

How would you sum up the Arsenal-Man City rivalry that’s developed in recent years?

Normal. Two teams trying to win.

No more than that?

No.

How decisive do you think this result could be in terms of the title race?

It would be a big boost for us. Winning big matches is always something special. Every time we play a big match against our big rivals, it brings something extra. It’s the confidence, it’s the emotion, it’s the fact that you are there and you continue to win. That’s what we want to achieve.

Down to 10 men in the reverse fixture. Hopefully, with 11 men on the pitch on Sunday, how confident are you that this Arsenal team can beat Manchester City?

With 11 and 60,000 in every ball, right behind us, pushing and bringing the energy. That’s what we want.

This week, Arsenal and you made a bid for Ollie Watkins, which was turned down. If indeed that’s true, is that the sort of player you’re still looking for between now and Monday? An out-and-out striker?

I’m not going to talk about any individuals. As I said, we are actively looking, proactively, to find a solution in that position and we’ll see what the market bring.

Off the back of the game at Etihad and events that occurred last weekend, how important is the man in the middle, the referee, on Sunday?

Listen, he needs to do his job the best that he possibly can, like we have to do, each of us. There’s nothing new, nothing special. We just need to focus on what we have to do from our side to be better than City and try to beat them.

Is Sunday a must-win?

Sorry?

Is Sunday a must-win?

We really want to win.

But is it a must-win? You have to win it.

I mean, every game we have to. On paper, you have to. It’s that will.

At the beginning of the season, if we’d all been sat here, we’d have thought, if Arsenal finish above Manchester City after the last two years, they’ll be champions. Are you surprised this season how, I’ll use the word inconsistent, Pep and Manchester City have been?

I don’t know, but that’s the beauty of football. It’s not that simple and it’s much more complicated than what you think in June or July or August.

I know you’re not going to speak specifically about individual names, but Ollie Watkins is an experienced striker. So the forwards you’re potentially looking at, are you open to experienced players coming in or a young player who can grow and develop at the club?

We don’t really look at the market in those terms. We look at what we have in this squad and what we are lacking and what can really impact and bring something that potentially can make us much better, regardless of the age or sometimes the background that they have. It’s a real belief that that player can be really good for us over time.

And is there a world where you don’t bring in a striker? Is it a must that you have to bring one in before Monday?

It doesn’t depend on us. We have the intention, the purpose and the ambition to try to help the team and support the squad to be better and to finish the season really, really strong. And we are actively trying to do that.

Against Wolves was the first time that we’ve seen Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri start in the Premier League together. This game is obviously of a much greater magnitude and there’s a chance we could see that again. What does that say about the youth and the quality of such young players?

Well, first of all, they earned the right for us to trust them. That’s certainly the case with those two because, again, in pre-season probably we would have projected how many minutes those two were going to play in the league or in the Champions League. Probably we wouldn’t be talking about the numbers that they have already achieved. So, that’s again credit to them and everybody that is contributing to that. And if they continue to perform, they will continue to play.

The timing of this game, with it being the day before deadline day. Is there any way that the result of this game could affect how the transfer window ends for Arsenal?

No, the result, no. I mean, hopefully not, but obviously if something happens that obviously is not planned, it would put the squad in a much dangerous position. It might do, you know, but that no, because that would mean that we haven’t planned anything and we’re just reacting to something last second, which is not good.

You say you still speak to Pep on the phone. Does he still think that his side are in this Championship race or what does he think?

I think it’s very obvious that it’s yes. We don’t have to discuss that, I think.

Just in terms of the last match against City, there was obviously some comments made by Erling Haaland to you after the game. Just your opinions on that, will you sort of speak to him?

I don’t take anything personally what happens on the pitch for me. And since I’ve been a player, it stays there and it’s full of emotions and things there and I just leave it aside and move on.

Kai Havertz has played a crucial role in the season with his off-ball movements and contribution to both goals. How important is he to the squad going forward?

Yes, very much. Obviously, he’s been our main striker now for a while and he’s producing some big numbers. And his work ethic is unbelievable. Not only that, but what we demanded to do in our model, his availability has been exceptional. So he’s always there and we are very happy to have him.