After leading his side to a 3-1 win over Orlando City, Mikel Arteta took on the media in America and discussed a wide range of topics, from potential signings, his forward options, William Saliba’s future and his goals for the season.
Read on for a full transcript…
about Oleksandr Zinchenko…
Yes, as you have seen, he is here. There are still some paperwork to be done, but we are very happy to have him. I know the player really well, he’s an exceptional footballer and he’s someone who will add another competitive edge to this dressing room.
his versatility, being able to play in midfield and at left-back…
Both, he can play in both. He was a natural No. 10 early in his career and we’ve turned him into a left-back who can do a lot of things that we want in the way we play. That versatility will be important for the team because we have players in this position who are more specific on full-back, so I’m really happy.
Will there be more signings…
I do not know. That’s what we have today. We have a big squad, so we also have to make some decisions about the players that we won’t use regularly and deal with them fairly and directly, and that’s a process that will also start very soon.
in expenses…
We must. We have a big squad and now we have to make things happen.
on versatility in signings…
It’s one of the things and the way we can adjust structures, formations and rotations within the roster and play with the same players in a different way. Of course, being more unpredictable is important and that’s why we recruited these players.
On the Effects of the Five Substitutes Rule…
It will be much more unpredictable to find out what the opponent will do and there will be changes, so what you planned at the beginning does not mean it will happen in the end.
on Sambi Lokonga…
We try it. Where he feels comfortable and can develop optimally. He feels very comfortable in this position and we want to see what he can bring to this position. It’s true that we still miss Emile and Fabio now, so that position was a bit bruised and he did well.
on the future of Lucas Torreira…
Lucas Torreira is our player.
about Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah being used as strike partners…
We want to build these relationships and they haven’t played many minutes together, the same goes for Martin and Gabi for example. We have to start with that, we obviously do that in training, but putting it into practice in the games is important and you can see that they have good timing and it’s important because they are two players with a big threat.
on what a pre-season tour brings us…
Well, first of all, obviously, the exposure of the club. We’re a huge club and you can see the reaction and support we’re getting in every city we’re in. It’s really important for our brand, for our supporters to be next to them and the US is a huge market, we have a huge fan base and we need to nurture that and make them feel like we’re ready to come here and then these practices and these tours give you a different level of competition against opponents that you don’t really know, they’re in the middle of the season so they’re in better shape than you physically and then playing in this heat brings that, I think a good adjustment if we have to return to the UK.
to William Saliba’s contract…
We always have a plan and when we have to implement it is a different story and football is a really fun game and we’re really happy to have it and you can see how it’s adapted, how it’s matured is and how well he plays we are lucky to have him.
on our goals for the coming season…
Our goal at this club is to win competitions, it can’t be any other way and the way we build the squad is to achieve that. Today we are still in pre-season, the window is not closed, the squad is not closed and we will set our goal internally, but they will not be at the end of the season, it will be much shorter because that is still too far and a lot could happen.
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