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Arsenal are pushing forward in their pursuit of a Premier League title but there are still improvements Mikel Arteta would like to see
Mikel Arteta may be satisfied with Arsenal's recent performances, but that hasn't prevented him from growing frustrated with one star.
The Gunners defeated Chelsea for the third time under Liam Rosenior this campaign to re-establish their five-point advantage at the Premier League summit on Sunday. Arsenal remain in contention across four competitions this term, including the Champions League, FA Cup and the impending Carabao Cup final against title rivals Manchester City.
Manager Arteta will be hoping his squad possesses the quality required to compete for multiple honours this year. Speaking about their FA Cup progress and broader ambitions for silverware, he said: "We want that one for sure (the FA Cup) and all the big ones. And that's what we are chasing and that's the purpose of this team.
"At the end, we get judged for what we do today. Last week is not important. We will get judged for what we are able to do at the end of the season. One thing is the trophies for our football clubs and many other things that you have to do in a football club, especially in the situation we are in.
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"I don't expect that. I'm really happy where I am with the people that I work with and hopefully at least they know that we will give our very best to try to win as much as possible." Here, football.london examines the latest developments emerging from the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta's frustration with Eze
Eberechi Eze has become the most recent player to experience Arteta's frustration after his underwhelming display against Chelsea. The returning former academy prospect joined Arsenal last summer from Crystal Palace and has registered 13 goal contributions thus far.
This tally includes five strikes against north London rivals Tottenham, winning him affection from supporters as the derby hero. However, with merely 17 accurate passes from 22 attempts and two efforts on Sunday, Arteta's irritation was evident from the technical area at the Emirates Stadium.
The Spaniard appeared increasingly restless on the sideline and seemed visibly exasperated with the England international's poor control on multiple occasions. Former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney previously criticised the Arsenal performer and suggested he ought to be making it "impossible" for Arteta to drop him.
Speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, the former United star said: "I don't think he's been good enough this season. The two Tottenham games have shined a big light on him but in other games I've watched him and not thought he's been good enough.
"I think a lot of that is probably through not playing consistently, I get that, but when you talk about mentality and character, if I was him I would be trying to make it very difficult for the manager to leave me out, both with your performances and in training.
"Clearly he's not doing enough to warrant a place in the team consistently. I get that Martin Odegaard is the captain but you've got to make it almost impossible for Mikel Arteta to leave you out.
"After the first Tottenham game I don't think he did enough to stay in the team so you just hope now for him he plays better consistently to stay in the game. I think he needs to perform a little bit better than he has so far this season."
Calafiori opens up on transfer dream
Riccardo Calafiori revealed his aspiration to one day rejoin Roma amid his reduced role at Arsenal. The 23-year-old defender has found himself largely out of the starting XI following his December injury setback.
Upon his comeback, the Italian has featured from the opening whistle in just a single Premier League fixture, having been displaced by loan acquisition Piero Hincapie throughout his spell on the sidelines. Calafiori arrived at the Emirates in July 2024 in a deal potentially reaching £42million and has registered 54 appearances to date, contributing to nine goals.
Hincapie has delivered encouraging performances whilst deputising for the Italy international, prompting Arteta to allude to his desire to secure his permanent £45m transfer the club have the option of. These remarks from the Arsenal manager have notably emerged alongside Calafiori's acknowledgement of his ambition to eventually return to the Giallorossi.
After a 12-year stint with the Italian side, he moved to Basel before returning to Serie A with Bologna, from where Arteta secured his services in 2024. According to Corriere dello Sport, Calafiori said: "I'd like to return to Roma sooner or later. We can't plan it, of course, but yes, I want to return."
The young defender feels he departed the club with unfinished business as he added: "I left something unfinished. It all started very well, with a goal. I played a lot for the first six months with Mourinho, even providing a few assists.
"Then came Bodo Glimt-Roma and from that moment on, I didn't play again. I went to Genoa on loan, but I didn't play there either - only three appearances. In the meantime, Roma won the Conference [League]. There was no more room for me."
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While this transfer hint might unsettle supporters, Calafiori is evidently content in north London and recently shared with Sky Sports his enjoyment of working under Arteta.
The 23-year-old revealed: "Obviously, he's a really demanding guy, but I like it. It's always better when your coach is asking you things in a good way, in a bad way, but it's always nice to learn and it's crazy how much effort he puts every time, every day. And especially for me - I can speak about me - he wants me to improve as much as I can."
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