Tasmania: Rooney s comments about Joker made me happy. I know Saka wants to stay at Arsenal

 11:19pm, 21 November 2025
The North London Derby will be staged in the 12th round of the Premier League in the early morning of the 24th, when Arsenal will face Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium. At the press conference before the game, Gunners coach Arteta talked about the team's preparations and also answered some questions that fans and the media were very concerned about.

About Gabriel's injury

Unfortunately, Gabriel suffered an injury and will be sidelined for several weeks. We will have further tests on him next Wednesday and will have a clearer timetable for his recovery then.

Gabriel is the leader of our defense. His absence is definitely not a good thing. Now someone needs to step up and take responsibility.

About Calafiori

Calafioli was unable to play for the team before. He had some minor physical problems and we had to let him rest. He has not participated in training yet. We will have a training session tomorrow and we will see how the situation goes then.

About the North London Derby

The feeling of playing at home is particularly wonderful. We know what every action of the team can bring. This game requires more emotional investment. You can't get too excited, the game demands a little more dedication on every ball and every move than any other game. We need a really good performance on Sunday.

About Rooney calling Jokeres the top three players in Arsenal's squad

I'm glad that such a comment comes from someone like Rooney. It's not just because of the lack of goals that Jokeres has scored, but also because of what he brings to the team and how he creates space for his teammates.

About Manchester City chasing after us

Not everyone will try to win every game, we must play well one game at a time. Sunday's game will be a great one for everyone.

About the war that will come in the next week

We are already prepared and know the importance of this week. We want everyone to be healthy, or most everyone to be healthy, to start building momentum.

About injuries and schedules

Injuries are part of football. A dense schedule may bring more injuries, and we must accept this.

About Jesus

Jesus is in very good shape and has been training with the team over the past two weeks. We'll give him some opportunities to play inside.

About Saka's contract

I know he wants to stay here, this is where he wants to be, the specific details are the responsibility of Berta and others.

About Eze almost joining Tottenham

I don’t know the final situation, but when I talked to Eze, it felt like he wanted to join us. Everything went well and I'm very happy with his performance.

On Odegaard having more freedom on the pitch before his injury

New players bring new connections and ways of attacking, and we have to let these changes flourish. While we learned a lot from them, we will be able to do the same with Odegaard back.

Regarding the recovery of the six players who were injured before the international break

I am optimistic about them. Now that they have reached the final stage of recovery, they need to conduct contact training and do some unpredictable things. I think they will be back with us soon but not sure if they will be back on Sunday.

On whether Gabriel is irreplaceable

No, because every player has specific qualities. Gabriel has his leadership and defensive passion and we have to have someone step up and we have done that many times in the past.

About Suvimendi's ranking among midfielders

I think all my players are the best and it is unfair to compare with other players.

About Ben White's lack of playing time

We didn't play him for a while but now he is in a better stage and we have to select players based on the opponent. He has to train very hard to be ready when the opportunity comes.

About Tierney scoring for Scotland

I am very happy for Tierney and happy for all the Scots, I love their enthusiasm and the way they treat people.