Every word from Arteta's pre-Olympiacos presser

Following our victory over Newcastle United two days ago, Mikel Arteta is back in front of the press ahead of our Champions League clash against Olympiacos.

We started off our Champions League campaign with a win over Athletic Club in Bilbao, and now host the Greek champions at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Read Mikel's full transcript below now, or press play on the video above to watch the press conference:

on William Saliba signing a new contract:

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

on our players believing they can win trophies here and committing futures to us:

They feel that they belong to this club, they feel very attached to it. 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.

on the impact of our late win over Newcastle:

Great energy, the moment you go into the dressing room, everybody is celebrating, especially because of 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.

on if everyone is fit and available for Olympiacos:

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

on if Odegaard is fit to start:

He was very good [against Newcastle], 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 the game.

on if there’s greater pressure on us in the Champions League this year:

We have the same ambition which is to 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 form is going to be to reach in this phase where we want to arrive and tomorrow we have the opportunity to start well.

on being on top of contracts for players:

What I know certainly is that at the end, there are two or three parties that have to come together to an agreement and with the three of them having the same intention and the same will, it's easier to get it done. In these cases, it's been extremely positive. Andrea [Berta], the team, and the support that we have from Stan and Josh [Kroenke] especially make this possible and available and we are extremely happy to continue this journey with them.

on Mikel speaking to RAF pilots:

You're a bit late, that was two years ago. So the plane's already gone!

on if there was any fear that Saliba wouldn’t sign the contract:

Probably more than the length of the contract, it's the will of the player. You can understand that some players have a dream, some of them are to play in the Premier League, some of them are 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 it shows the power of this football club and how much people love it and want to come here. None of that is happening; even if they had the possibility to go somewhere else, they wanted to remain here.

on if he was always convinced he would become the player he is now:

I think it's a great example. To get where you want, there's not a single pathway. It can happen in various ways, in various manners, because when you talk about this pathway, you talk about loans. So there's a lot that has happened, a lot that William 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, but sometimes it's the best thing that can happen to you, to get where you want to get.

on if he’s aware of the noise around the club in terms of having no excuses:

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, from the first day. And the excuses, they've never been part of my life.

on his first European tie as our manager against Olympiacos:

That's the beauty of football as well. I perfectly remember when we scored the goal, when we conceded the equaliser, the last chance that we had in the last second of the game as well to go through. What happened after that, as well, when COVID and everything hit, so it's part of the journey to get to where you are. It's a good example, like Willy [Saliba], to get where you want to get, sometimes you have to go through moments that you probably didn't expect to go through.

on how that first year in the job helped him develop:

It was a lot to swallow, coming into a massive club in the middle of the season when you've never coached a team. I think that's already a big challenge. On top of that, everything that was happening at the football club, COVID hits. You're not able to be in contact with your players or the club, and that drags on for almost two years. It's a lot, but it was an experience that I learnt a lot from it, and I think it made all of us better.

on the tunnel being removed at Emirates Stadium to improve the atmosphere:

As a club, we have always have the ambition to generate the best atmosphere in the world at Emirates Stadium. We have the best supporters in the world, and now we have to facilitate everything. The team has to give the right feelings to our supporters every time we play in front of them. We need to facilitate the stadium in the manner that we want, and we need to ignite the will that we have to play every single goal with us, because it makes such a difference. We want to play and win the things that we want to win, that's a non-negotiable. You need to have a stadium that is able to create those moments for sure.

on when he was first aware of the talent Max Dowman has:

The first conversation was probably with Per [Mertesacker]. We were talking about the talent and what he could see and feel that could reach 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 that he's taken, and the speed he's taken them, 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 when that conversation with Per was:

I would say a year and a half, two years ago.

on how Viktor Gyokeres stood up to the challenge at Newcastle:

I loved it. I absolutely loved how he took it. He went on board, not a single moment when he was showing frustration. I told him that 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 also 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.

on how he’s handling the role with Kai out injured:

In a really natural, 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, but he can still give to the team, so I'm very happy with him.

on what Eze brings to a central position compared to Odegaard:

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

on how he’s adapted to life at Arsenal:

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

on how to learn from our previous encounters with Olympiacos:

Yes because they have a really good side, and they have a really, really good manager, which I've known since I was 13 because he was my coach at that period. I know how he works, I know how efficient he is in what he does. That's why I'm saying that tomorrow is going to be a really tough match.

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