Mikel Arteta sends title warning to Arsenal stars and makes transfer admission

Arsenal face Fulham on Saturday and know a win at Craven Cottage will move them four points clear of rivals Liverpool, who host Manchester United on Sunday

Mikel Arteta is determined for his side not to be pulled into the narrative of what Arsenal being top of the table means for his players.

The Gunners face Fulham on Saturday and know a win at Craven Cottage will move them four points clear of rivals Liverpool, who host Manchester United on Sunday.

The Spaniard, speaking during his press conference on Friday, pointed out that less than a month ago, his side were facing questions about their title credentials before their late win.

“We cannot pay too much attention to that because the feeling was you go to Newcastle, if you lose in Newcastle, the Premier League is over,” he said. “And one week later, you are where you are.

“So, honestly, it's less focus on what we can control, focus on our performance, focus on delivering and achieving what we want to achieve daily and the rest, it's 30 games, it's still too early.

“So many things are going to happen. Emotionally, we cannot be dragged into these things because we have much more important things to do. “

Arsenal face a Fulham team who took two points off them at Craven Cottage last season, with Bukayo Saka being denied a late winner from a marginal Gabriel Martinelli offside call.

Arteta, however, feels any question over how his squad will cope this time around is outweighed by the volume of fresh faces in his squad.

“No, because it's a very new changing room as well,” he replied when asked about his side’s capacity to take lessons from being top for so long before. “We have brought in the last two seasons various new players, so they haven't experienced that.

“For some of them, it will be unconsciously there, but as a learning and hopefully a really positive learning as well, because that's sport and that's football in general to do that.

“And then you have what happens at Newcastle for a few years, what happens against West Ham, what happens against City when we could not beat them.

“It's a lot of situations, and then we have learnt from that. And then the ultimate goal, if we do a lot of the small things well, it will come.”