Arteta: I am happy for Alonso; Chelsea signing Emi Martinez was a smart decision

At 23:30 Beijing time on September 6, Arsenal will host Chelsea in the third round of the Premier League. Before the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attended a press conference. This is the second part of the press conference.

Hi, sorry Mikel, I was a little distracted by what was just said, and I will try to put it behind me—I would never try to talk about things outside football, but regarding this match, when Xabi (Alonso) was officially announced by Chelsea as their head coach, did you speak with him?

Actually, I spoke with him before he was officially announced, but I am really happy for him, as I said. It is incredible because obviously we have a very deep and shared history, and it is the same for Andoni (Liverpool head coach Iraola). To meet and face each other at such a high level of competition, with both of us taking on the responsibility of managing some of England's top clubs, is a wonderful experience.

Were you surprised that they signed goalkeeper Emi Martinez?

No, I was not surprised. Obviously, I know Emi very well; he played for us. He is a very tall and excellent goalkeeper, and it is very clear what he can bring to the team. I think Chelsea signing him was a very smart decision.

People are currently talking a lot about Chelsea's front three, saying they look world-class, and many are questioning whether Arsenal have world-class forwards. Do you think Arsenal have world-class forwards?

I love my players, and that is all I can say. As for what level or category you want to put them in, I do not know. I think at the end of the season, the facts will naturally put everyone where they belong. Let us trust them, make sure we stand firmly behind them, and do everything we can to help them show the incredible talent they have inside.

Hi Mikel, you mentioned Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. You previously had a very close relationship with Alonso, and you spoke highly of him last season. Do you still maintain the same close friendship now, such as meeting or chatting outside matches?

Now that both of us have very busy schedules, meeting outside football has become more difficult. But of course, our friendship has lasted for many, many years, and we have shared some great moments together, which is natural. But now we are competitors, and when you face each other on the pitch as opponents, everyone knows what happens.

In this transfer window, especially in the final days, many clubs spent large amounts on foreign players, while in England Arsenal are among the clubs that rely heavily on their academy, with young academy players such as Bukayo Saka, Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Does this emphasis on youth development mainly come from you personally, or from your close relationship with the academy?

I think it mainly depends on the quality of high-level players in the academy. Sometimes it is simply about a certain generation of talented players being able to integrate into the first team at the right time. It depends entirely on timing and the team's current needs. As a club, we really want to give academy players the opportunity to show themselves and reach the level we expect. So far, their performances have obviously been very, very good.

Yesterday I saw an interview with Richard Garlick (the club CEO), where he talked about Arsenal's success last season. His views strongly support the mentality you often talk about, that last season's performance was not the destination, nor even the end of the story, but actually just the first page of the story. How difficult will it be this season to keep everyone at the club aligned and aware that what was done last season was only the beginning?

It is actually very simple. I think this message has been very clear to everyone from the first day. So if you have a different mindset, I do not think you need to stay here; you have to go somewhere else.

Finally, I saw some photos online today of Chelsea players training with rugby-style protective equipment for contact drills because they believe this match will be a very physical contest. They are carrying the pads and running at full speed for high-intensity collisions, because the physical battle will certainly be intense, and your team is clearly very strong and physically capable. What do you think about that?

That is training many clubs do, and we use those pads as well. Everyone uses them during circuit training. I think it is a very common training method in football.

Hi Mikel, Gabriel Martinelli has now left. I know we asked about this last week, and I also know that letting him leave was an emotionally difficult decision. He made many contributions to the club. Can you talk about the process of his departure and your view of him?

For Gabi, I feel a great deal of gratitude. Working with him and being part of his development journey has been an honour for me. The Gabi I first met and the Gabi who has just left have changed enormously both personally and professionally. I think his impact on the club, his ambition, his love for the game, and the way he helped us grow and achieve our goals—he was always a vital player. So yes, this story has ended, and we wish him all the best in another new story. That is part of football.

Can you tell us more about this transfer window? Obviously, there has been a lot of discussion about Arsenal not signing a new striker. If entering a new season as defending champions without bringing in a new world-class forward is considered a missed opportunity, would that be too extreme?

I do not know. These are just various opinions from outside. The transfer window has now completely closed. I prefer to focus on all the great players and qualities we currently have in our squad rather than spending more time on things that do not belong to us now and that we cannot change. That is my main responsibility.