Every word Mikel Arteta said on William Saliba new Arsenal contract, Gyokeres and injury latest

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta almost has a clean bill of health ahead of facing Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday evening at the Emirates Stadium. Piero Hincapie and Noni Madueke remain sidelined alongside Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus but the rest of his squad will be available for the visit of the Greek giants.

It's been a big day at the club after William Saliba penned a new five-year deal with the Gunners.

Here is the full transcript from Arteta's press conference at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.

How big is the news regarding Saliba's new deal?

Big news, very happy. Congratulations to Willy, he fully deserves this new contract, his contribution to the club, to the team has been phenomenal the last few years and I'm very happy to keep the spine of the team with us.

You say the spine of the team, there's quite a few players in the squad now who have committed their futures to the club for the long term, does that say that most of the players in the squad believe they can win what they want here at Arsenal?

Yes, first of all that they feel that they belong to this club and they feel very attached to it and they share the same ambition with the club. And obviously they feel valued, they feel loved here and they want to continue their careers here which is great.

It's been a couple of days since the late win over Newcastle, what has that impact been like on the squad and have you seen a difference in the players?

Great energy obviously, the moment you go in the dressing room everybody is celebrating, especially because the manner and the way it happened, you have to move on immediately and you know that we have a very tough match tomorrow against Olympiacos and I'm ready for it.

And heading into that match, is everyone feeling available?

Yes, no surprises in Hincapie and Noni are still out, so no news, the rest are all good.

Martin Odegaard came off the bench, he made an impact against Newcastle, is he fit to start now?

He was very good, he came on and immediately you could see the desire and the responsibility to get in the game, to try to change it, his decision making, the way he approached every ball and he made a difference to help us win again.

In terms of the Champions League, because you got to the semi-final last year and got so close, is there a greater expectation and greater pressure on you this year as a competition?

Well we have the same ambition which is go game by game and try to be better than the opponent which is very difficult in this competition and win as many games as we can. Tomorrow we're going to have a really difficult one, we know how important the home front is going to be to reach in this phase where we want to arrive and tomorrow we have the opportunity to start well.

On story regarding Arteta summoning RAF pilot to improve communication skills

You're a bit late, that was two years ago. So the plane's already gone, I don't know where it is!

On William Saliba, it was always going to be clear that some of European football's top clubs will be interested in a player like that, was there any part of you when entering the final two years of his deal that was fearful he wouldn't sign?

Probably more than the length of the contract is the will of the player, you know, because you can understand that some players have a dream, some of them is to play in the Premier League, some of them is to play in the Premier League for Arsenal, another one can be to play in a different country for a different club so you have to respect that. I think we've been really, really lucky. But as well it shows the power of this football club and how much people loves it and wants to come here that none of that is happening.

He signed at Arsenal when he was very young, 18 years old and there were three loan spells early in his Arsenal career, were you always convinced that William Saliba was going to become the player that we see today?

Well I think it's a great example, it's to get what you want, there's not a single pathway how it can happen, it can happen in various ways, in various manners because when you talk about this pathway you talk about loans, within those loans there were various reasons for those loans, there was a big injury as well that kept him for a long period of time away from football, then when he was here we had another serious injury, so there's a lot that has happened and a lot that Willy had to get through and the club and myself with him as well to get to the point where he is today. and that's the beauty of it, that sometimes things don't start the way you expect it but sometimes it's the best thing that can happen to you to get what you want to get.

Are you aware of the outside noise that Arsenal need to deliver now, do you pay attention to it or how do you block it out?

Well I'm aware the moment I step in this chair that what I want with this club is to win major trophies, nobody else has to put that line into us, that's the ambition the first day and the excuses have never been part of my life.

Tunnel has changed, how can that impact the atmosphere and who is behind those decisions?

No, obviously also as a club we have always the ambition to generate the best atmosphere in the world at the Emirates and we have the best supporters in the world and now we have to facilitate everything and the team has to give the right feelings to our supporters every time we play in front of them. We need to ability as well the stadium in the manner that we want and we need to ignite that will that we have to play every single ball with us because it makes such a difference. We want to play and win the things that we want to win. That's a no-negotiable. You need to have a stadium that is able to create those moments for sure.

When were you first aware of Dowman?

Well the first conversation probably was with Per when we were talking about the talent and what he could see and feel that he could reach out the level that we needed. Straight away his name came up and then we started to look at him and the way he's developed himself and the steps he's taken and the speed he's taken, it's probably unheard of. He's fully with us, he's part of us, he trains with us and he's got the same chances as anybody else.

On Gyokeres' physical battle against Newcastle

I loved it. I absolutely loved how he took it. He went on board, not a single moment when he's showing frustration. I told him you're going to get some decisions, some others not. Stand up, you're going to have two or three players around you in many moments, the ball is in the air and a lot is going to happen. But I loved his reaction, I loved the way he handled the situation emotionally and as well because he was involved in a lot of dangerous moments that he created. He was very much involved in them. It's a pity that he didn't score a goal at the end because in my opinion he fully deserved it.

There's quite a big burden on him at the moment with no Kai. He's kind of on his own, a lot of expectation. How do you think he's handling that?

In a really natural and organic way I would say. He's a really confident boy, his work ethic is incredible, the demands that he puts on himself every single day. It's a joy to work with him, he gives so much to the team and the ceiling is very, very far away. He can still give to the team so I'm very happy with him.

What does Eze bring to central role?

I think he's got this different quality. In the book they're unexpected. When you think he's going to turn right he goes left. When he thinks he's going to take another touch he releases the ball. It's his vision. He's a player that can create those magic moments and at some point he can steal the ball in a way that not many players can do. We're lucky that we have a few of those. The more we put him in central positions in those conditions, especially when there's threat around him, we play on his strengths.

How would you say he's adapted to life at Arsenal? He's not been here that long, but it feels like he's at home already.

Very good. Personally, it's a very special character, someone really easy to get on with. Super intelligent. I'm very impressed how quickly he picks things, the questions he asks and how smart he is to navigate through a different environment. The chemistry he's generating with his teammates, the way he's impacting games, I think for the short period he's been with us, really positive.