Arteta on Viktor Gyokeres Expectations

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on Viktor Gyokeres Expectations  19/12/2025  Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK

Transcript

00:00You were a really young defender. What stood out for you when you saw him playing?

00:05What were his qualities that you should say?

00:08The first one, courage, I would say.

00:11Because obviously what he's coming from, he has never experienced such a level.

00:15He went on tour and he was thrown out there at 16,

00:19and playing against Newcastle, Milan.

00:22You have to be able to coach, first of all, physically, but mentally.

00:25Can I do this? And it's a position obviously that exposes you big time.

00:29I mean, you don't do what you have to do, and they are through.

00:33But he's emotionally a really stable boy.

00:36He wants it, and still very, very early in his career.

00:39But he's a really good prospect.

00:41How much harder is it when you're a defender at that age?

00:45Someone like Max obviously would see the talent.

00:47No.

00:48But someone like Marley being that young,

00:51and the physical changes, it seems like a really difficult task.

00:55It is harder.

00:56Because you said Max can give the ball away in the final set,

00:58and the consequences are not that drastic.

01:00But when you make a mistake,

01:02or you don't set the line in the right way, the right height,

01:05and you can probably lose a duel in the defensive line,

01:08the way we play with 40 metres behind you,

01:10the consequences are huge.

01:12And you need to be able to live with that stress.

01:16And that's not easy, and he's done it really well.

01:19Do you think if he's needed, given the injuries,

01:21he's ready to play at Premier League?

01:23Yes.

01:24And he can play as a centre one,

01:25because as a full-back he did it in the Champions League

01:27the other day.

01:29And I always tell the boys,

01:31you are here for a reason,

01:32and be ready because you're not going to be telling

01:35in three weeks' time,

01:37maybe if football is tomorrow or now.

01:41And you have to be ready for it.

01:44Hi.

01:45You've been here six years,

01:47and that might be saying you barely look a day old

01:50or maybe a couple of days old.

01:53Thank you very much.

01:54Considering all the stuff that you've been through

01:56since you've been here,

01:57you know, three runners-up positions

01:59and coming so close,

02:00how do you think that has changed you as a manager

02:02in that time?

02:04I think obviously a lot.

02:09There's been a lot of changes as well.

02:11And the personnel and the people around you at the end,

02:14I think the ones that drive and probably draw your journey

02:20and your emotional state,

02:21I've been very lucky to be around some great people.

02:25I've learned so much about them.

02:26And I think I've learned so much about myself as well,

02:29how to react, what the priorities are.

02:31And then, yeah, at the end,

02:34the team and the players are the ones who command

02:36what kind of manager they need.

02:37I always say the same.

02:39So what they needed six years ago about me

02:41and now it's completely different.

02:43So the priorities are different.

02:44The messaging is different.

02:45The way we train, the way we approach,

02:47the way that dressing room is deal with,

02:50it is different.

02:51And hopefully it's what the players need,

02:53which is constantly my obsession is

02:56what can we give to the players

02:58to get the best out of them,

02:59what can we give to the team

03:01to get the best out of them consistently.

03:03But it's been a joy.

03:04I enjoy it a lot.

03:05And does it feel with that evolution

03:08that you've had with the team

03:09and so many of the players

03:10that have been on that journey with you

03:12that really the only thing missing now

03:13is to cross the line and win some silverware?

03:16Yes.

03:17And we are very close to that

03:19with the amount of points

03:20and things that we've done consistently.

03:22You look at the performances,

03:23all the records that we had

03:24that they were breaking

03:25in the history of the club,

03:27you still haven't managed to do that.

03:28But that tells you the level that we are in,

03:30which is a level that the Premier League

03:32has never experienced in the past.

03:34And that's what we want,

03:35achieve even higher goals.

03:37And if we do that,

03:38I think we are in the right path to win it.

03:41If you've been here six years

03:44and you've got 18 months of your contract in January,

03:47could you see yourself staying beyond that 18 months?

03:51Yes, but it's about today

03:53and a lot of things have to happen

03:55in the next few months as well

03:57to end the right.

03:58I think a manager has to end the right

03:59to be here tomorrow, you know.

04:01And that's how you react, how you talk here,

04:04how you go in the direction of the message that you send,

04:06how much the players follow you.

04:08I always said that you need support,

04:09I said it before,

04:10from ownership and the board is great.

04:13At the end, the most important one is those players.

04:15You open that door,

04:16you confront them,

04:17you talk to them

04:18and they are like this,

04:20or they are like this.

04:21And for six years,

04:22I've seen just players

04:23with a level of attention,

04:25desire to learn

04:26and give the maximum to the team.

04:28That is what it gives me in this job,

04:30nothing else

04:31and obviously winning a lot of football matches

04:33that percentage-wise

04:34I think is quite high.

04:35So that's the only way.

04:36If not,

04:37you cannot survive in this environment.

04:38I was going to ask you,

04:39Cheiro Rhee was speaking this week

04:41and you were saying

04:42how you've got a lot going on,

04:43obviously with injuries,

04:44the busy schedule,

04:45but he said Arsenal must win the league this season.

04:47What do you think of that?

04:49That's fine.

04:50We're going to do absolutely the best

04:52from each other's capacity

04:54to achieve that.

04:55That's for sure.

04:56I guarantee you that.

04:57Issa?

04:58I'm Cam.

04:59So over the six years,

05:00you're of course in the sector

05:01for a lot of our ex-Arsenal players,

05:03whether it's the kind of area

05:04where it's the first team,

05:05last team,

05:06Jack Wilkeshire,

05:07Ferdinand Saka

05:08and since that's been senior positions.

05:10What was the kind of...

05:11Edu as well.

05:12I do, yeah.

05:13That one as well.

05:17As far as that,

05:18what was the kind of drive forward

05:19and what impact have you seen?

05:21I love that.

05:22At the end,

05:23that history of the club,

05:24people have lived those experiences

05:26bring something different.

05:27It's like an academy player

05:28has been here since he was eight.

05:30He has something else in them,

05:33a special feeling

05:34and that's the power of it.

05:36I will be more than happy

05:37to have more players.

05:38We have some ex-players,

05:39I have some very personal relations,

05:41some ex-players

05:42that have been part of different teams

05:44in the history of the club

05:46that are so helpful

05:47because they have lived things

05:48in a different way.

05:49Sometimes they have different perspectives

05:51as well from the outside

05:52of the things that we do

05:53and that's a big value to us.

05:55Was there anything in particular

05:56before you came to Arsenal

05:57or where you thought

05:58after this and this is why

05:59you need to bring in

06:00ex-players into a football club,

06:02whether it's culture

06:03or something else?

06:04Well, I think when you come in,

06:06first of all,

06:07you have to assess the situation.

06:08For example,

06:09Freddie was here,

06:10Freddie Lundberg was here with us

06:11and he was part of the

06:12coaching staff as well

06:13for a period

06:14and he was a very important figure

06:16because he knew everything

06:17about it.

06:18the past

06:20and it was really important

06:21at the time.

06:22So, I think

06:23it's very important

06:24regarding what at the end

06:25the club needs

06:26and the play needs

06:27which is the most important thing.

06:28And on Victor,

06:29you just said before

06:30another question

06:31that we need to understand here.

06:32What do you mean?

06:33What are the aspects

06:34that you need to understand

06:35about Victor and the striker?

06:36And the way he thinks,

06:37the way he interacts with people,

06:38the timing of his run

06:39and his movements

06:40and again,

06:41I said it,

06:42it has to be both ways.

06:43Always,

06:44when there's a relationship

06:45it has to be understanding

06:46and there are certain signals

06:48and certain chemistry

06:49that we have to build

06:50but I quite like what I've seen

06:52in the last few games

06:53and it was very unlucky

06:54not to get with that ball

06:56in front of the keeper

06:57without any defenders

06:58three or four times.

06:59And finally,

07:00to Gary.

07:19Yeah, they do ask me

07:20but I cannot lie to them

07:22I don't know.

07:23It's something that doesn't

07:24depend on me.

07:25Are you really happy here?

07:27Do you feel

07:28that you have the energy

07:30and you feel

07:31that you can take this club

07:32away?

07:33Yes.

07:34100% yes.

07:35But again,

07:36it doesn't depend

07:37only on me

07:38and they have to make a decision

07:39that is based as well

07:40on what they feel about it.

07:42And again,

07:43that's another sign

07:44when you sit with a player

07:45and he's talking to you

07:47in those terms

07:48and they really want to stay

07:49they don't want to even

07:50listen to other options.

07:51That's a good sign

07:52because that means

07:53that the club looks after them

07:54in the right way

07:55and they believe that

07:56this is the right club for them

07:57to achieve the goals

07:58that they want in their life.

07:59When Olsen was here,

08:00he had sort of

08:01a project

08:02he obviously had

08:03the project moving

08:04to the new stadium

08:05and then he had to survive

08:06at the new stadium

08:07with limited money

08:08and trying to build a team.

08:09You're in a sort of

08:10slightly different position.

08:11What would be your projects

08:13that you think

08:14are going to be going forward

08:15in the future

08:16that you think

08:17where you need to build the club?

08:18There is a lot of talk

08:19obviously

08:20in the next 2-3 years

08:21in terms of infrastructure

08:22things that can happen

08:23but my focus

08:24because this is

08:25dealing in a great way

08:26at the club

08:27my focus is

08:28his performances

08:29and what we need to do

08:30to win big trophies

08:32and that's the end.

08:34Okay guys, thanks very much.

08:37We're going to take a moment

08:38just to raise...

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