Every word Mikel Arteta said on deadline day hopes, Arsenal vs Chelsea, "very rare injury"

Mikel Arteta faced the press ahead of his Arsenal’s side’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea.

Mikel Arteta faced the press ahead of his Arsenal side’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea as they look to reach their first final since 2020 when the Spaniard oversaw his side’s win in the FA Cup.

Arteta addressed the latest transfer news, considering it is deadline day in the winter window.

Also, the latest on Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino, who have both picked up injuries in the last week. Giving insight into the severity of both, with a boost for the wide man, certainly.

Here is every word from the press conference:

Any casualties we don't know about from the weekend?

No, nothing. You're aware of all of them.

With Bukayo, obviously, a bit of a hip issue before kick-off?

Yeah, we have to wait. Today he was better, but we have to wait and see. Have a response and then make the decision.

I'm surprised you know and I'm sure you've asked and you've seen him. Nothing too serious?

It doesn't look like something too serious. Whether he's going to be available for tomorrow or the weekend, we'll see.

Obviously, we've got further news now on Mikel Merino. He's going to be out of the club for a while but hopefully back before the end of the season. Can you be any more specific than that?

Well, we hope so. I don't know. Obviously, he needs to go through a procedure, which is never always positive. He's a big player for us. An athlete that has such a versatility and capacity to compete in various positions. Yeah, that's a big blow.

Is it a fracture?

Yeah.

Obviously, the wording of the statement suggests that there might be a chance of him playing again before the end of the season. Obviously, there's the World Cup coming up as well. So, those are targets, I guess?

Let's see. It's a very rare injury, so we have to wait and see once we have the surgery. How that reacts daily.

Obviously, monitor it throughout the week for the surgery. I know Mikel is going to do absolutely everything that he possibly can to come back as quick as possible. But, as well, he has to respect the healing process and the fact that, obviously, it's an injury that is quite rare.

So, that serious pain in the foot for that, Mikel. Is that a pain in the neck for this, Mikel?

Yeah. For the team as well, obviously, because he's a big player for us, a very important player for us. And we're not going to have him until probably the end of the season.

Does it change your thinking today, before seven o'clock, with the deadline?

Of course. I mean, when you lose a big player like this in the squad with four months to go and all the competitions to play for, you need to look and we need to do everything that we possibly can to see if we have a player that is available.

And if we don't, we keep what we have.

But we know, particularly now, with his versatility and his abilities, his importance to the squad, not just any player is going to do it. It's got to be someone really special to come in.

At this level, especially for four months, you have to be a player that has the capacity to adapt immediately and impact the team. That's not easy. But if it were easy, we wouldn't be here. So, we need to find solutions and try.

I guess in previous years, years gone by, there's been more of a panic, if that's the right word, than there is now because of the depth of the squad that you've got now.

Yeah, we have more depth now. But for seven months, we haven't had the depth because we have players out like a lot of teams. So, we know the demands, the standards that we need. And we need players because we play every two or three days.

How pivotal was the weekend? And I don't just mean going somewhere like these and winning so well, so convincingly, but also other teams chasing that title, losing points.

We can only control what we can control. Last weekend we lost. Now everything looks different.

We are very happy in the manner that we competed and won our game. And that's the only thing that is in our hands. And by the way, big congratulations to our women's team for winning the trophy at the weekend as well, which was really nice news.

Paul Merson said on Sky that it kind of felt to him, that game, that victory, the whole weekend. It was like the weekend, the game, where Arsenal won the title.

Yeah, we need another 13 or 14 of those and that will make it happen. So, we know how much is still to do. We are very conscious of that. I think every club is very conscious of that.

And we just keep going. So, it's the Carabao Cup. As it's the Carabao Cup, just a bit of a random question for you, I guess.

You're the best team in Europe. You're the best team in the Premier League. You're a game away with the advantage of getting to the domestic cup final.

There's no supercomputer, unfortunately, but the bookies have you at 9-1 to do the treble, those three, Champions League, Premier League, Carabao Cup. Is that a target? Is that something the players can believe in?

We go day by day, competition by competition. Tomorrow we have a really tough game against a very good Chelsea side. We have the home advantage, we have a good result, but we have still a lot, a lot to do tomorrow to end the right of way in the final.

The thoughts of something like the treble? There's nothing wrong with the dressing room believing that that's possible, is there?

There's no point talking about it. All we can talk and control is what we do daily to sustain the level that we have or to improve it.

Can you talk us through what today is like for you? Because I think sometimes it's a bit like Championship Manager, where you get up in the morning and you think, right, Mikel Merino is out for the rest of the season, I need a midfielder. And then you just go and search someone there. It's not like that, is it?

No, it's not.

We had the news a few days ago and obviously we are always active in every window that we have, just in case something happens. We had the departure of Ethan as well to Marseille for the right reasons, I believe, for the club, players and the team.

And then the news of Mikel was very unexpected, especially for such a long time. So we are actively looking at options. We will continue to do that.

So my day will be the same as usual. I will be busier and if we find a solution, I will try to do it. And if we don't, we will continue in the manner that we are now.

Because things are going so well on all fronts, is there the temptation not to replace Mikel? Because obviously you don't want to disrupt the harmony you have within your squad right now.

Well, if we do something. It's just to improve what we have and to be better. It's certainly not with that purpose.

So we will have the consideration in relation to the opportunities that we have, whether we do it or not.

Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea, you're up against them again, second leg of the League Cup. They've conceded goals. He's won six of the seven games that he's had, but they have conceded quite a few goals along the way. Is that a weakness that you'll be targeting?

Well, I mean, every team has its own things. I think Liam is doing an incredible job so far in different competitions as well. And tomorrow, the tie has a context, which is very specific when you talk about a tie.

That's the fact that we play at home and we have the advantage. But that we need to now make it very concrete in the manner that we approach the game Saturday, tomorrow, to win it.

Last one from me. In terms of not setting a ceiling for your team and going to try and win all four competitions, I understand, obviously, you want to do that, but this is the first one. This could be your first piece of silverware in six years since you won the FA Cup here.

Is this, in a way, the most important of the lot? I mean, if you win all four, will you look back and think, that was actually the one, the League Cup?

Yes, I mean, the next one is always the most important one. And it is the closest, at least, to reach a final. And tomorrow you're going to have people who really need to create the atmosphere, the energy, the belief that we're going to do it. And all together, I'm sure we're very capable of doing that.

I just had a couple of questions about Ebreche Eze. You've spoken a lot this season about the need for magic moments.

And he's someone who can provide them and he has provided them against Spurs and City and other places. I just wondered, is that enough, really, for someone who wants to be a regular starter in your team? Is moments enough or do they have to find a way to impact the game more often throughout the 90 minutes?

You have to impact the game consistently throughout 96 minutes at this level. And any phase, any action is the most important action. And on top of that, you have to be able to add other values.

In his case, he's very, very good and unique at creating those magic moments. So, that's the demands of his player.

And do you think, in terms of his position in the team, when he arrived, we saw him a little bit more on the left-hand side. It feels like recently he's been more in central areas. Is that because you feel that central position suits him better?

Well, for different reasons, to be fair. Because we have certain injuries on the front line and we utilise them on the left. And we have injuries as well on the right.

So, he's been able to adapt to different positions. I think in the last few weeks he has more consistency in one position. And just trying to understand as well those relationships where he's more comfortable, where he can impact more the game in relation to the opponent. And that's where we are.

I'd like to ask you about Viktor Gyokeres. Four goals in his last six games. Are you seeing signs of an improvement? And if so, where on the pitch?

Yes. Well, it's all around play and performances, I would say. He's been much more consistent in actions and consecutive actions, especially. His defending inputs have been terrific from the beginning.

But attacking-wise, understanding his movements, the timings of his runs, and the presence and movements of the boys has been much better. And he's been more prolific, certainly, in front of goal to help us to win more games.

And he's starting to score those. Maybe not the most aesthetically pleasing goals, but do you think that was something your team was maybe missing before Viktor came along?

Yes, I mean, he has the ability to do that. And goals are goals. I know that we prefer the beautiful ones on YouTube, but they are all very important. And the ones we scored recently are very much the same.

You've obviously got quite a lot of options in defence and at full-back. With Mikel now facing a long spell out, is Myles someone you might now view primarily more in midfield than at left-back?

Yes, Myles has the qualities to play in different positions. He's played as a full-back, as a six, or as an attacking midfielder even. So, yes, that's an option that we have in his squad.

Since he came into the first team, pretty much all his appearances have been at left-back, but he came through the academy in midfield. Why, I guess, have you not used him more in midfield in the first team so far?

Oh, because I believe that he had the best chance to break into the first team playing that position, because I think he has unique qualities that we didn't have in the squad to accommodate that and to give him the chance to play for us.

With Ethan going out on loan, he scored in his first game for Marseille. I'm sure you've seen it. How delighted were you to see him hit the ground running in some ways? Or in your mind going, that maybe could have been for us as well.

Yes, but we made the decision. Now, what I would love to see from Ethan is the score that goes every three days. He plays a lot of minutes, he gets the exposure that he needs, he continues to grow mentally, physically, and all the technical and tactical aspects that are necessary at this level.

That's the reason we've done it, because we believe that was the right context and the right coach for him to do that. Hopefully, that's going to happen.

The understanding was that there wasn't a break clause in that loan that you could say, in a emergency, bring him back. Did you do that with the mindset of, we're sending him out there and he's going to get an important experience at the next six months?

Well, to be fair, that's more something that Andrea [Berta] and Sam [Hayball], in this case, are more in charge of deciding and negotiating, because it's not only what we want, it's what the other clubs expect from the player that is joining them and the way he commits to that club.

When you have this situation where you're looking to react really light in the window, how does it work? Do you go to Andrea with a list of players as he comes to you? What's the process?

We start to look at it, obviously, Andrea is in full charge of that, and I fully trust him with the experience that he has, with the relationship we've built, and because we understand each other so well. We believe that can help us, the environment that he's going to find that player, as well as the expectations, and obviously, the financial options that we have to bring a player now.

You've only got five hours, are you relaxed about the situation, that if you don't get anyone in, you've got enough?

I wouldn't say relaxed, I think we are on it, and it's our responsibility, when we are playing for what we are playing, to give ourselves the best opportunity and chance to look at the market, every option, evaluate them, and then make a decision whether we do something, if it's possible.

Does last January come into your mind at all, where you thought about doing something late, obviously you had that failed bid late on, do you think we don't want to get into that situation again?

Yes, I think it's a very different one as well, and I know what happened very, very well, I know the details of that, so that was totally different.

Tell us, come on.

[Wry smile]

Good afternoon, Mikel. The conversation for a while is that, it's your title to lose, but complacency is the enemy of greatness, do you have anything particularly special to stop the players feeling that they owed the league, or that they're taking this opportunity for granted?

Yes, the reality that we face every single day, they are the ones that experience the difficulty, and the challenge, and the level of this league, and what we want to accomplish.

And in your last league cup home game, the capacity was over 59,000, and last week you addressed the loss against Manchester United, and you clapped your hands and said, ‘Vamos!’, the fans loved it, you clearly have a very special connection with the fans, over your last six years working here, what special things do you think you've established as a manager to be so effectively connected with the fans?

I don't know. I think it's something, a trust, I think a relationship, a cohesion that you have to build every single day, the way you behave when you win, when you don't win, in the manner that you make decisions, in the manner that you are perceived inside the club, I don't know, I think there are a lot of factors, I'm very, very grateful for the way I get treated, the way I get respected, for the response that all our supporters have with the team, and with myself constantly, and tomorrow we have a beautiful night together again, to make something special, and we're all together, we're going to do it.

Is there any money left after the summer spending?

We have the responsibility to do that. It is true that we have done certain deals, but nothing different to the top clubs, I don’t think.

There is scope to work with then?

We have to see where are the parameters. We have to have the options and then present them and then: is it possible, yes or no?

Are you confident? We are on it. It’s just the fact you want to make the right call with the right player because we really want to improve the team if we can. If not, we don’t do it.

What about Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been here for a while building fitness is he an option?

We explore every option.