Mikel Arteta Prepares for Brighton with Squad Updates and Referee Controversy
Mikel Arteta walked into the room with eight straight wins on the horizon, a simmering refereeing row in the background and a Brighton trip to navigate before a three‑week pause in the season. The questions came from every angle. He barely flinched.
Injury boost before Brighton
First up, the team sheet.
Ben White? “All good.” Jurrien Timber, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie? Also in the frame.
“We have another training session this afternoon,” Arteta said. “Very positive about everybody… they are willing to be part of it and we have another session to try to make sure they are fit.”
Arsenal head to the south coast chasing an eighth straight win in all competitions to start the campaign – something the club say has not happened since 1903. Arteta refused to indulge the history lesson.
“We've got a really tough opponent tomorrow so we're going to have to earn the right to win the game,” he said. “That will be the mindset of the players and the team.”
Referees, Sunderland and the ‘Don’ tag
The fallout from Sunderland still lingers. Arsenal have been in contact with Pro Ref, though Arteta shut down any hopes of public detail.
“This is a conversation that will remain private as usual and they have to keep that one,” he said.
He was told Jamie Carragher had labelled him “the Don” – likening his growing influence on refereeing debates to Sir Alex Ferguson. Arteta pushed that away.
“I think I'm here to try to give my opinion, to defend my club, to give the very best to our players,” he said. “We need to respond in the most direct way and fair way. I will make mistakes sometimes, but I will try to be as fair as possible.”
Apologies? He’s not chasing them.
“It's not about the apology, it's just agreeing that the decision should have been different or not,” he added. “Maybe they have a different opinion and try to improve and move forward together.”
Manchester United have received one from the officials. Arsenal have had private talks. That’s as far as he would go.
Respect for Brighton and Fabian
One apology did come his way – from Brighton boss Fabian, who had previously criticised Arsenal’s style and time-wasting after a March defeat.
Arteta was quick to show respect.
“I have huge respect for Fabian, what he's done and what Brighton has done as a club. It's just remarkable,” he said. “Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful game to watch, I'm sure.”
It will also be Arsenal’s fourth consecutive away match. Arteta likes what that run has revealed.
“The team has responded so well,” he said. “Playing with such dominance, it doesn't really matter if we play at home or away; we want to be the same team. We want to cause the same kind of problems to the opposition.”
Contract talks parked – but aligned
The inevitable question arrived: his contract. The club want him to sign. The fans want him to sign. He was asked if the new deal might be wrapped up during the extended international break.
“I think we are all very much aligned,” Arteta replied. “Whenever the time is right, we'll get that done. There is nothing to be concerned about.”
Two years ago, news of his last extension landed around this time. He would not be drawn on a repeat.
“I don't know if the time will be the same or different,” he said. “We both have the same ambition and the same will. So whenever we have time, we'll get that resourced.”
A new, longer international break
This is the final game before the revamped, longer international window. Managers across Europe are working out what it means in real time.
“Let's see, it's something that we'll have to experience,” Arteta said. “Different national teams, different managers have taken different approaches in terms of the numbers that they have put in the squad.
“It's going to be really important to have good communication with them so they understand where our players are, what we expect, what they expect as well. And work together, that's the best way always.”
He was asked whether the new format might actually help club momentum compared to the old stop‑start pattern of August, September and November breaks.
“Let's see how it pans out,” he repeated. “Some [national teams] play very locally in Europe, some others have travelled around the world for two and a half weeks. We have to wait and see how this develops.”
Gabriel, Marli and leadership you can’t coach
Arteta’s eyes lit up when the subject turned to youth and leadership – specifically Gabriel’s reaction to a mistake from 16‑year‑old Marli Salmon in the cup.
The Brazilian centre-back went straight over to the teenager, lifted him, and set him back on track.
“You cannot cause that. You have it, or you don't, because it's a split second,” Arteta said. “It's just a very emotional reaction when you're in the middle of the game, and I absolutely loved it because we've all been there.
“Just encouraging the confidence that it gives to a 16-year-old to go again and deliver in the next action, it's huge… it's good to see that bond, that connection within the team to try to help each other.”
Bruno Guimaraes and midfield flexibility
On Bruno Guimaraes’ role in his system, Arteta stressed flexibility rather than a fixed lane.
“He can play on the left, on the right, in the middle, he can rotate from there,” he said. “He's such a dynamic, versatile player that he can deliver great moments in any position.
“It will be more down to what we need on the day, the relationship that we have with the other midfielders and for sure what the opponent does as well.”
Raya’s rise from non‑league to the top
David Raya’s journey from non‑league football to Premier League star and Golden Glove contender is one of the squad’s standout stories. Arteta did not try to claim credit for it.
“That's a great story,” he said. “For any kid as well to look at trajectories and pathways and how you can reach the highest level in football.
“David has been, I think, it's his mentality. Obviously, he has tremendous quality, but he has overcome a lot of difficulties and a lot of challenges to reach this point.
“When he reached this point, it wasn't easy at the beginning. He really has to dig in and improve himself… with all the coaches, with Iñaki especially, doing an amazing work with him daily and all his teammates. But he has the right to be one of the best now.”
Best signing he’s made?
“I don't know, he's been a tremendous signing. There's no question about that,” Arteta said. “Whether he's the best or not, it's just an opinion but it doesn't matter. We are so happy to have him. I think he has elevated the team, the club to a different level and now we need to maintain that level.”
No Invincibles talk
With Arsenal perfect in the league, the word “Invincibles” was inevitably floated. Arteta cut it off.
“We just have enough on the plate today to prepare the game against a really good Brighton tomorrow,” he said. “We know how tough that's going to be and then the right to win it, that's it.”
As for seven wins from seven after a mid‑season World Cup and minimal preparation time, he pointed to attitude first.
“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level,” he said. “To win seven, it tells the story.
“After the World Cup especially, there were a lot of unknowns… We didn't have any time with them to work together. But I said from day one, I think the attitude and what I was seeing, I was really impressed with.
“Then you have to put it down to performances. We had a bit of luck as well, for sure, to win four matches. And we are here. And then we want to make another one for sure tomorrow.”
Viktor’s confidence and the striker’s code
Viktor, facing one of his former clubs this weekend, has not yet hit top gear in the Premier League this season. Arteta rejected the idea that his confidence is shot.
“Especially in the Premier League, he hasn't played that many minutes,” he said. “But last week he played in Napoli, and he had a good game. I think that's about moments as well.
“We need to give him all the support and confidence that he needs to deliver because we know the player that we have, the capacity that he has to score goals and what he can give to the team.”
Is he fully adapted now?
“I think the team is doing certain different things this season as well. It's a bit of both,” Arteta said. “That's a constant evolution, player and team. And for sure our job, especially my job, is to try to fit that in and find those connections and that level of confidence for the player to give his best for the team.”
He agreed with the idea that a spell with Sweden could help, as it did last March.
“Especially for a striker, you know what, they need minutes and they need goals,” he said. “That's what really boosts the energy of them and we have a game tomorrow and hopefully he can deliver that.”
Youth blueprint and the fight to keep talent
Behind the first team, Arsenal have been reshaping their youth structure. Per has moved on, Pascal has come in, and the club have invested in young prospects such as Victor in January and Andria Bartishvili more recently.
“It's together as a club,” Arteta said. “We know that if we want to constantly maintain this level and have the pathway already in-house, which is the best way, obviously, to bring players from the academy or from the youth teams to us, they need to be one of the best in the world at recruiting.
“Recruiting in the country, recruiting abroad, the best talent that we possibly can to give us the best chance to sustain that level.”
He knows how hard it is to keep the very best.
Over his near seven years at the club, talents like Chido, Ayden and Nduka have moved on, while others – Max and Marli among them – have committed to new deals.
“That is challenging because there are a lot of parties there,” he said. “The way the system is set up is not easy. There are certain moments throughout those years that there are gaps that big decisions have to be made.
“Sometimes not only what we want to do is what the player or the agent or the family wants to do at times as well. And that's not easy. But we're going to try, for sure, to keep the best talent in-house.”
Max Dowman kicking the door down
Max Dowman is the latest academy name forcing his way into the conversation. Two goals and a standout display at Ipswich have sharpened the focus.
Is he banging on the manager’s door?
“That's the best way to knock on the door: to do it on the pitch, not in the office,” Arteta said. “When a player delivers constantly on the pitch every single day in training, that's the best way.
“That's the best signal for the manager. That's the best signal for his teammates as well. They will demand that player playing.
“What Max did the other day, alongside all the players as well that they haven't played that many minutes, it was really impressive.”
His growth is not just technical.
“When you see how those players [first‑team regulars] behave daily, the level of attention they put to any detail, the way they look after themselves, the standard that they set, if you become part of that environment, that's only going to raise your level,” Arteta said.
“It's going to educate you in a way that becomes a normality, and when that becomes a normality, then you will hit another level, because then you will be able to add to that, and that's where Max is at the moment.”
Eze, Tzolis and the left flank
With Martinelli and Trossard gone, Eze has taken all his minutes this season from the left wing. Arteta believes that suits him perfectly.
“He's always played there,” he said. “His biggest moments in his career and the highlights of his career have come [there]. I think it's a place that he feels very, very comfortable.
“He can occupy different spaces through them. But that's the space that generally he has created big moments for previous clubs to win matches.”
He shares that lane with Tzolis. So what makes it an Eze game or a Tzolis game?
“If they’re in form, in the opponent, in the relationship that we have within that unit, there are a lot of factors,” Arteta said.
Konsa, Gabriel and a fast‑forming partnership
Ezri Konsa has settled quickly, impressing in the bruising battle with Sunderland’s Brobbey and linking smoothly with Gabriel at the back.
“I had some great things about Ezri before he joined,” Arteta said. “When you have it daily, you just realise the magnitude of the player that we signed. Not only the player, but the person.
“The way he presents himself, the way he's able to connect with people immediately… when you see those two in the corridors talking, the way they interact with each other, it seems like they've been here for a long, long, long time together.
“That's a partnership that, in my opinion, is extremely important on the field. And then, yeah, his attributes, the quality that he delivers to the team, it's something that really makes us better.”
Eight on the spin?
Arteta knows exactly what eight straight wins would say about his team. He also knows Brighton will not care about Arsenal’s potential record, their contract stories or the referee rows.
“We are here,” he said of their perfect start. “And then we want to make another one for sure tomorrow.”
The numbers, the streaks, the comparisons can wait. Brighton away, then a long international break, will tell their own story.
