Mikel Arteta Provides Updates on Squad, Consecutive Crystal Palace Fixtures, and January Transfer Prospects

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta addressed the media ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final match against Crystal Palace, scheduled for a 19:30 GMT kick-off. Below are the main points from his press conference: Defenders Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori will be unavailable for Wednesday’s fixture. Regarding Declan Rice, Arteta stated the midfielder “is fine” but indicated a decision on his participation would be made following training. Arteta commented that facing Crystal Palace “is always really tough,” adding that “it is another layer of difficulty when you play a team twice in a row.” When questioned about the possibility of Ethan Nwaneri and Martin Odegaard playing together, Arteta responded: “It depends on who they’re surrounded with and what positions they can play. He [Nwaneri] can play as an right attacking midfielder, left attacking midfielder and a winger. I also think he can develop as a nine.” Addressing inquiries about Arsenal’s potential transfer activity in January, Arteta stated: “It will depend on who the player is, what the value of that player is and other movements in the squad. That is a difficult one to answer.” Arteta mentioned that he would not hold a celebration to mark his five-year tenure at the club, but would instead “reflect on it” as “five years in the job of this size is very big.” Regarding the impact of winning the Carabao Cup on their Premier League challenge, he commented: “I think it is really helpful. It brings belief, trust and positive energy. Touching a cup generates that energy and I think it creates the right path.” When asked if there was a specific reason for not playing Raheem Sterling, his response was concise: “No.”