Every word Mikel Arteta said on Southampton vs Arsenal, Spurs trophy win, transfers and injuries

Mikel Arteta addressed the media for the final pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s trip to already-relegated Southampton.

However, what was intriguing was his thoughts about the binary nature of football that a trophy equals success and the opposite is failure as seen by many.

Here is every word from Mikel Arteta’s press conference:

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Just ahead of the final game, a little bit of maybe team news and if you could just explain the Timber-Saliba situation, what their problem is and whether you might have them back available for pre-season or beyond?

Jurrien, he had a surgery on Tuesday morning on his ankle. He's been feeling that discomfort for many, many weeks. He's been navigating through the season with that issue, and it needed to be resolved, so he's going to be out for a while. And Saliba, he's had something in his hamstring the first half, just before halftime, and again, he's going to be out for a few weeks.

In terms of Jurrien, what's the timeframe on that? Will we have him for pre-season? Will he not be ready for the start of the season?

We don't know yet. It will depend how the recovery goes. It will be weeks, but we don't know exactly how much. Hopefully, it will be somewhere near the pre-season, if everything goes well, but we don't know yet.

And Saliba, just a few weeks rest?

A few weeks, yeah.

Kai came back. Did he come to you okay?

Very good.

Was he a happy man this week?

You could tell how excited he was. He's been working so hard. I think he's done great with the medical stuff to get back in the shape and in the form that he is at the moment. He was desperate to contribute and I'm really happy to see him back.

Sunday probably marks the end for a number of the players at this club. There's an understanding that some are going to go, but Partey still remains a little bit of a question mark over. Is there any movement on that yet? And in terms of the level he's played at this year, how important is it to maybe keep him?

Well, there's some question marks on a few of them, so we'll have to wait and see. We still have another Premier League match to play on Sunday and after that we have some time to sit down and finalise a few things that have to be done. In regards to Thomas, consistency-wise, it’s been his best season. I think the way he's played, performed, his availability has been exceptional and he's a really important player for us.

In terms of another important player for you, David Raya could get his Golden Glove couldn't he, on the weekend? Matz Sels and him head-to-head. So much noise when you signed him. Do you sit back in your armchair with your peace and quiet at night and think, gosh, that was one of the best decisions I made bringing him in and the improvement you've seen under him?

Well, we made decisions with that intention, but obviously at the time it was very unpopular when there was so much pressure on it not to get him done. But I think we have to feel in our gut and we have to be as well very analytical of what we think is necessary to improve the team, to take the team to a different level. And certainly everybody at the club, around the team, our supporters are very happy with the way David has been consistently performing at the highest level for us in the last few seasons.

Second three years in a row, when you are lying on a sunbed somewhere next week, hopefully with your phone off and spending some quality time, being present with your children, when you get back how much clarity do you have in your mind about what you need to do next season? What's that kind of list look like?

So I can imagine the moment that you just described, so probably what I would do when I'm done, I pick up the phone, I call you and I tell you exactly how I feel. [Laughs]

You don't need to do that, it's absolutely fine [laughs].

Now exactly is not the best moment to do it and I don't feel in a way to do it. I have quite a clear picture, but I need a few more things to then have a real clarity and analysis and describe the season with the right words because I know that that's going to be very, very important.

But the picture you have in your mind of what next season looks like, assuming with the trophy in your hands, that alignment, the players, where you go with this squad is very clear in your mind. What's the most important thing about getting that right next season?

Alignment?

With the people that...

Everybody at the end. We all feel the same way, that we feel that we are capable. It's not just a dream or it's not just something you want to do, it's that we have everything that is needed to do that. And even if you do, there is a lot of things that are going to play a part to win. A lot of things. Performance is going to be, the squad quality, availability is going to be, referees, the schedule, who do you play, when, in what kind of form they are, how many days do you have to recover and then the randomness of football. That one I cannot control. I cannot control what can happen in that dressing room to somebody in his personal life that can affect his performance, or something happens or competitors do something like in the history of this league. You have seen it online, boom, they do that, and then there is a lot of randomness there. So things that we can control I guarantee we will do our very best.

And just finally from me, no trophy for you this season but obviously your rivals managed to do it last night. How much extra pressure does that maybe add on you and a word on maybe Ange Postecoglou because you probably know better than us the sort of roller coaster that he has been on this season and you sort of see him at the end with his family and I think you have to kind of take your hat off don't you to what he has achieved?

Just congratulate them. I think they are champions, and when you get to that, you have to do a lot of things right. I think they have gone through a season with again a lot of obstacles and difficulties and they have helped them at the end to manage a beautiful moment. So you have to congratulate. This is a sport and I am sure they have done everything in their hands to achieve it and they are very happy.

And the question I have been asked to ask - is who has had a better season?

I don't like to compare with other teams. I need to analyse my team. That's my job.

A trip to Southampton ends your season on Sunday. Given second place is pretty much confirmed for you, what is the motivation heading into this one?

Because you want to have as many points as possible. You are always here representing this club to win and to play in the manner that we want to do. We want to achieve the best defensive record, the golden glove that we are still there to play and finish the season again on a high with a good test and always respecting the competition.

You recently said that you are willing to give your life to win silverware here at Arsenal. With that in mind, how do you switch off and let yourself rest and recuperate once the season is over to be able to go again with such intensity next time around?

You need to reset. There are many parts. One of them is that obviously you have to rest. Then you need to be very convinced and aligned of what you want to do to give yourself the best chance to be what you want to be. Then you need to start to feel that feeling in your tummy that you are willing to come back here on day one, fully motivated, fully enthusiastic to go again with the group of players and staff that we have.

With that in mind, how excited are you already at the prospect of next season?

I am excited but I think now I need as well to rest a little bit, to calm down and to start to make certain decisions in the most efficient way with the right timing as well to make sure that I can rest because that is a big part of the rest when you start to see things are happening and are happening in the right timing and in the right direction.

You go into this summer transfer window with a new sporting director in Andrea Berta. How well have you two got to know each other and how much of an impact do you feel that he can make in what could be a very big summer for the club?

I think he is going to be a big contributor. His experience, the fact that he has already won and won in a very difficult context as well, the way he has built teams I think is exceptional. I think we have to share all that responsibility. Andrea is going to be a key part driving the idea and the plans that we have to try to execute them, and we are here to support him.

Finally, from me, your last pre-match press conference of the season. If you had to summarise your season in one word, what would that be and why?

When it finishes, and I knew that question was coming! When it finishes I will do that. If I count one, if not I might use three.

Mikel, just in the last 24 or 48 hours you have been linked with Real Madrid winger Rodrygo. I am not asking you to talk about a specific names like him, but what does it say about where this team is at and where the project is at that you are linked with a player of that calibre?

Well, I wouldn't like to name a player, but obviously we have come... I think the biggest thing is that, and using the word pride, is that we have brought the club into a position, into a place that next season: ‘You have to win a major trophy.’ That means that everybody believes that we have the level, that we have shown the consistency, and we are an elite team in this country and in Europe. And if you don't do that, then what's going to happen? So, for me that's the biggest statement, that Arsenal is there.

And should you be in a conversation with a player like that who is on the market?

I mean, if you want to win major trophies, you have to be the best in the market, no? The teams that win have the best players, always, always at this level.

Mikel, you weren't joking when you said that Kai Havertz had bulked up when he came on the other day. I think you can see clearly that he's built himself up.

You saw the difference yeah?

On the centre-forward thing, there's been a lot of talk about Arsenal moving potentially for a centre-forward in the summer. Does Kai Havertz coming back and coming back in such good shape, does that alter your thinking at all going into the summer? Or are you very clear on what needs to happen or doesn't need to happen in that position?

Well, what we have, what is clear as well with the amount of injuries that we had in the front line, that we need a goal threat and we need the firepower out there. Understanding that the context can change tomorrow, you know, and we cannot rely just on the numbers that we had before. And we have to add goals, we have to add creativity, we have to add numbers and that will be in different positions.

I just want to go on something you talked about with Simon, you talked about the raising of the expectations. You said to me before that success and failure aren't two words that you use in your vocabulary. Do you feel that football has gone into quite a binary way where we look at things as trophy, success, a season without a trophy, failure? Is that a worry?

A worry? Well, externally yes. I mean, you're going to only evaluate that, then use those two words and that's it. But then, I think, make decisions in base to that. So next season you don't do that, you are out. If you do that, you are here forever. I don't know what is it, because last night is a really good example of that. Or the final between Inter and PSG, because they're going to be judged only if they win it. If not, they're going again like the last 12 years that they have tried it. They are very different beyond that.

How do you cope with that mentally? And for you as a manager, managing players and how they deal with a season where it's not necessarily achieving what you wanted, but you can see the progression that's been made by those players.

But where is the joy then? Because then if I have to analyse ourselves as Arsenal football club, then we have failed the last 20 years in the Premier League and we have failed in all our history in the Champions League.

If you take it there, what? Who are we then? What is our brand? What is our club? What is standard? What is our value? What is our way of playing? What are the moments that we live together with our people? If we are just going to evaluate that, we have to do a summary. What is 20 years of that and a full history of our club of that in Europe? I wouldn't go that way.

Talking of finals and trophies, the women have got big finals weekend. Your thoughts on that? Will you be watching?

I will be watching, I will be wishing and I think everybody is just fully on board just bringing that energy to them. It's going to be an incredible moment for the club, for them. So wish them all the very best and we will be watching.

Does their success bring energy throughout the club through to your team as well?

For sure. The women, what we do in the academy, at any level, anything that is very positive for the football club, we are more than happy to do that.

Going back to Thomas, you said earlier it's been his best season. Just taking everything away, would you like him to stay beyond this season?

Yeah, I've said it many times now.

In terms of numbers, you said you wanted to add to the squad. Do you have a number in mind as to how many more you need?

Yeah.

Can you say that?

No.