Mikel Arteta spoke to the media following Arsenal’s penultimate pre-season game against Bayer Leverkusen.
The game was Arsenal’s first in front of a sold-out Emirates Stadium since last season, following their tour of the United States last month.
Two quick-fire goals from Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard within the opening 10 minutes gave the Gunners a healthy lead – which they added to before half-time thanks to Gabriel Jesus.
Changes at half-time set a slower pace for the second half, but it was not long before Kai Havertz tapped in from close range to make it 4-0.
A late goal from Adam Hlozek proved to be nothing but a consolation as Arsenal’s dominant showing earned them a resounding 4-1 victory over the Bundesliga champions.
Speaking after the game, Arteta spoke about the match itself, as well as various topics around the club at the moment.
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Injury concerns
Among the talking points before the game was the omission of defensive duo Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori from the squad.
Timber suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last season, and his absence caused some panic among supporters – while there was disappointment and confusion over Calafiori’s absence.
Arteta was quick to ease fears of any serious issue for either player, though, saying:
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The Bayer Leverkusen game
On the night, it was an emphatic win for the Gunners, and Arteta was quizzed on whether he is happy with where the squad are at this stage of pre-season.
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Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice
The England duo only returned to first-team training at the start of this week after their extended holidays following Euro 2024, but both featured against Bayer Leverkusen.
When asked if he was worried about rushing the pair back too soon, Arteta insisted that, with the start of the season so close, they need to be ready:
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The club’s academy stars
This pre-season has seen numerous Hale End academy stars given plenty of minutes as they sought to impress ahead of the new campaign.
Among the most impressive young stars were Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly who, for most Arsenal fans, will need no introduction.
When asked about the role that the duo could play in the upcoming season, and whether they will be given regular minutes, Arteta said:
Myles Lewis-Skelly
The Spaniard was also asked about his conversation with Lewis-Skelly which was seen after the match, and said:
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Gabriel Jesus combining with Kai Havertz
While last season often saw the duo play in place of one another, Jesus and Havertz linked up with each other exceptionally well against Bayer Leverkusen.
When asked if fans can expect to see them play alongside each other more often in the upcoming campaign, Arteta said:
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Transfers
Eddie Nketiah
Eddie Nketiah has been the subject of transfer interest from Olympique Marseille in recent weeks, but Arteta remained tight-lipped when asked about his future:
Aaron Ramsdale
Arteta delivered a similar response when asked about the future of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale:
