Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he would “stake his life” on the club’s ambition to dominate the Premier League, but insists the defending champions must demonstrate that desire through their performances across the season.
Arsenal begin the new Premier League campaign at home to newly promoted Coventry, with Arteta speaking to the media ahead of the opening fixture.
“We do want to achieve that, I can guarantee it with my life, and the players are also very eager to achieve this goal,” said Arteta. “But we need to prove it with action.”
The Spaniard said Arsenal’s ability to challenge consistently would be judged by how they perform throughout the campaign and respond when confronted by setbacks.
“Ultimately, this can only be reflected on the field, in our performance throughout the season, and in our actions, reactions, and ability to overcome difficulties when facing different challenges and opportunities,” he added. “Only then will we know if we are truly capable of doing this.”
Arteta also discussed the importance of players developed through Arsenal’s academy, saying those footballers often have a particularly strong bond with the club.
“Players who grow up in our academy usually have a deep affection and connection with the club, which definitely brings something different, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
He believes the club must take special care of those players and help them develop, while recognising the difficulty of replacing the value they bring.
“As long as conditions permit, we want to protect these assets as much as possible, develop them, and make them a very important part of the club,” Arteta said.
However, he cautioned that young players may need different routes into regular Premier League football. He said the first priority was to determine whether they were ready to compete consistently at the highest level and then provide the appropriate playing opportunities.
Arteta acknowledged that clubs and managers could not always promise substantial playing time to players with limited top-flight experience. Although a move to another club might appear to offer the ideal level of competition, he said some players could benefit from a different development path, with varied routes potentially leading to the same outcome.
Asked about Australia, Arteta said he hoped Arsenal’s young players would progress there if that became relevant. He explained that he had a close connection with the country because he had visited it, enjoyed his time there and had Australian former footballer Tim Cahill as a good friend.
“G’day!” Arteta added.
The Arsenal manager was also asked about the absence of the club’s “supercomputer”, which he suggested had not been brought by a friend. He said he hoped the friend would return, but stressed that Arsenal’s internal standards mattered more than outside predictions.
Arteta said the purpose of the supercomputer should be to encourage Arsenal to maintain their standards every day, putting themselves in the best possible position to compete, perform and connect with supporters. If they did that, he believed they would be close to their objective, although the final outcome would ultimately be determined by fate.
He also compared the qualities of new defensive options Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie. Arteta said Calafiori brought a distinctive energy and aura, while Hincapie offered a different set of strengths.
“What I want to see is that Ricardo is Ricardo, and Piero is Piero,” he said. “Having both of them makes our team stronger. They complement each other very well, each providing different characteristics, and that’s what we strive for when building our team.”
Asked whether he followed transfer speculation, Arteta said he did not receive such information directly. Instead, he heard about developments from Arsenal’s press team and from his children, who ask questions such as: “Are you going to sign this player?” and “How far along is this deal?”
For confirmed information, he said he relied on Andrea Berta and the board, as well as Josh Kroenke, to understand the progress of negotiations, what Arsenal could do and why certain deals might not be possible.
