Mikel Arteta faced the media ahead of Arsenal's clash with Spurs in the Premier League on Wednesday night. The Gunners boss has lost another forward player in Gabriel Jesus and provided the latest on team news including Jorginho and Riccardo Calafiori.

With Jesus out, there was a significant change in how he approached questions about the prospect of signing a striker. There was perhaps more optimism and intent about how he answered queries on the matter and it seemed very evident that there is a desire to find a player this winter.

You can read every word from the press conference which football.london was in attendance for here.

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How is Gabriel Jesus?

We know more now and it’s not looking good at all. We need to review one more specialist, so we will probably know more information this afternoon.

Is it an ACL?

I don’t want to confirm anything until we have the final report this afternoon. It’s the doctor’s job to do that. But we were very worried after the game and we are very worried today.

Is it season ending?

Again, let’s wait until this afternoon.

Of the other injured players, who might be available tomorrow?

We have one more training session and there are a few that can be close but this afternoon we will have the full info on the squad, who is available and who is not.

How is Calafiori?

His thing is not too much but we need another day or two. We’re playing every three days and 24 hours, which becomes really important because they’re not long-term injuries in that case, for example. We will have more understanding this afternoon.

How is Jorginho?

He was cramping when we played extra time. Jurrien [Timber] was exactly the same. He’s fine.

On Nwaneri

He is good. He has started to do some work on the pitch already. He is evolving well, he is young, he is healing very, very fast so hopefully we can have him soon.

Does Jesus’ injury change your thinking about the transfer window?

My answer doesn’t change. We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad. We have been since day one. It would be naive not to do that because there is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad. Especially with the circumstances we have. So yes, we are looking and let's see what we are able to do.”

What did you mean when you said it wasn’t in your hands?

When you recruit a player there are three parties and you have to agree. And we have our limitations as well like any other club. We can do what we can do. We plan our squad and have our limits to do what we want to do, that’s it.

The fact I love our players a lot does not mean we cannot think about improving. We’re not that stubborn, and we all want the same - to use every opportunity to improve the squad, daily and when the market comes in if we can do that. Make sure we have the best resources and best capacity to compete in the matter we want.

Unbeaten in 11 London derbies in 2024. Can keep that record tomorrow…

It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch and play, because of the atmosphere, what it means to our people and everyone who is involved in the game.

This is something that is in our hands, for example. Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at Emirates. That’s an objective. That’s something we can control - players, staff and supporters that turn up tomorrow. That’s something we can do, so let’s do it.

Social media abuse towards Kai Havertz after Manchester United - how sad is that?

It’s incredible, honestly. We really have to do something about it, because accepting that and hiding this has terrible consequences. It’s something we have to eradicate from the game because it’s so cynical and dependent to a result of an action. There is no other industry like this.

When we played Ipswich on December 27, we win 1-0 and Kai Havertz scores. The whole stadium after that is singing the ‘Waka, Waka’ [his chant]. That was 20 days ago. Where is the perspective? We are all responsible. You guys [the media] are responsible, everybody is responsible for the narrative and how we talk. We cannot look somewhere else. That’s a really serious matter. It affects me. It affects him and everybody that is in the industry.

We can accept it and say that’s our job, but there are certain limits and the line has to be drawn. We put a lot of attention on technology and what is next in football. What is next in football is that this should be prohibited. It cannot happen. That’s it.

Five years in charge now, the amount of injuries, how do you find a way to adapt?

Yeah obviously, it's the most challenging period that we’ve had, especially because we lost very important players in crucial moments but things happen for a reason in this life and we have to adapt and still look how the team performs.

We didn’t win the other day, but if you go out of a competition, let’s go out like this, when you’ve been infinitely better than the opposition again. And then we have another one, probably the best timing to play because it's a game for all of us. Lets face it, the circumstances are what they are, let’s embrace them and lets get the best out of that because despite all that look how the team played.

On having respect for Ange Postecoglou and now he’s dealing with big challenges too, does that increase that respect?

That’s our job, it's very difficult to predict that those things are going to happen but how we react again, this is something that is in our hands. You can feel sorry for yourself and start to find excuses, or face it and I think Ange has done that and last year they had some difficulties as well and he dealt in the same way so I really respect that.

You haven’t lost at home for nine months, now two defeats, how important is the crowd going to be?

Yeah for sure. Understand that it was a long period and it's something that gave us much confidence and obviously the fact that we lost two games in the manner that we’ve done it is painful.

The narrative was that it was Arsenal’s time to win the title, have the fans however got the right perspective about how difficult that is?

I wasn’t mentioning about the narrative of that, the narrative from the beginning is the top four, five, six teams because of what they’ve done in the market and historically now the ambition to win it, this has not changed. Regardless of what happened, regardless of what changed, it remains the same.

Do you believe you have to bring in an out-and-out striker, after the Jesus injury?

What we have to believe is that if we bring something is that it has to make us better.

But in that position in particular?

It's for any position because we have other issues as well. We need to understand that a player can bring a lot to a team in different ways, it’s not just about that.

Nobody can guarantee you nothing. There's not one player in the market can guarantee you they come in today and do that. We’re going to hope, we’re going to believe and we’re going to try and do that on somebody that we believe can do that but that’s what we’re trying to do.

Two bad results, win tomorrow and suddenly everything is rosy in the garden again…

What’s that word that you use? Roses in the garden? There’s no roses in the garden because I win two days ago in a way that I didn’t merit or because we won two games in a row there’s now roses in the garden. This about what is the next day in the garden is our job, when we play every three days. What is in the garden the next day, that is the important thing.

The LA fires, there are connections there, what’s the message from the club?

Yeah well, our condolences they are obviously suffering a lot. When you look at what is happening and the time that all this has extended to, and how many people are affected, we obviously have ownership there, a lot of friends and people that are big Arsenal supporters because we’ve been there together for a few years now. Really sad, try to understand the situation and help as we can.

Support for Havertz inside club over past few days?

It’s not about individuals. I think there is a big lesson here to learn from us, it’s how we have conducted, reacted and supported players when they have been through a difficult time. And you guys just notice sometimes when it is just a professional issue, but there is a lot of personal issues as well going on in the camp.

The club and the people here have been exceptional because every time there has been an issue, everybody has been supporting him. And the outcome is always clear - the more support you have, the better it is.

With Kai, in particular, we experienced how it was in the beginning and when everybody started to support him and they were talking about him, about being one of the best No.9s in Europe. That’s it. The best medicines are the people that really love the club and loves our players, supporting them. That’s what I would like to see.

Clear weekend now out of FA Cup? Keen for a break with squad?

We are looking now. Okay, this [the FA Cup] is gone, so how can we optimism the situation using it in the best possible way. So we are looking at options. I think the calendar and fixtures are a bit dependent on what happens with the Champions League as well. We are looking and trying to plan the options.

On the potential break, last year was one of the big things having time that you wouldn’t have in weeks like this one?

Yeah, well we knew that when we are involved in other competitions the schedule was going to be like this. We are prepared for that and we’re going to face it, that’s it.

On the point about Kai, with perspective how do you as a manger bring that perspective to a player when you’re in a difficult time?

Well in terms of goals it's very easy, look at the last 10 years, apart from Ronaldo and Messi, expected goals and finishing quality there is not a single player who has been stable, it's very volatile, expected goals and goals is a very volatile thing.

You want to have the ambition to be there and score a lot of goals, make sure you have prepared to be volatile, if not, you go and be a defender that’s it, it's part of your job. Volatility in respect to your goals is really high; there’s a lot of smoke and a lot of things that you cannot control, the only thing that’s better is a lot of possibilities more expected goals, more situations, be more there, then it's higher, the finishing quality every single player, apart from those two… (whistles and actions with hand up down).

Since Edu resigned, and Jason stepped into the role, has your role changed?

No, Jason, completely filled it by him, and all of the team that is behind him. We are in constant communication with the board and we continue to act in the same way, and the same process as before, and Jason is in charge of that.

On the derby, when you prepare for a team that has a specific style of play, how does that change your approach?

No, at the end, almost every team in certain phases, some of them can exist more than others but in general every team has clear intentions and patterns. They can change their system, but the outcome that they are trying to achieve is very similar. It is just the way we verbalise our feelings, and how we go about our jobs more than anything else.

Who is in the camp to explain to the new players what Tottenham means?

We have a few now in the squad. A lot of the players and staff, you can feel it when you go in the building that the big one is coming up and that excitement is around the building. They can feel it and they know about it.

Anything special planned motivationally?

I am not there yet, but it is better when you have been knocked out of a competition to play as quickly as possible. I think that’s positive.