Mikel Arteta faced the media ahead of Arsenal's clash with Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday night. He provided an insight into the little team news available with there still being decisions to make on players.

Transfers were naturally a very important part of the conversation with reference made to Martin Zubimendi in one of the earlier questions too. Look out of the response to the question regarding the atmosphere toward the end of the press conference, it would be fair to say he wants a big reaction.

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

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Haaland signing a nine-year contract:

Well, that’s the news. If they are willing to commit with a player for that long, it’s because they are really happy, so good news for them.

Is Calafiori close to contention?

I still have a few decisions to make this afternoon with the medical staff to understand whether they are in the best condition for this game or the next one. So, we will decide that.

Anybody else close to making a return?

Not so far.

What impact have you seen from NLD win on the squad?

I loved the attitude that the team played with. We had some big performances. It was obviously a beautiful night for us to celebrate in front of our people. Moving to the next one, because it is a big one against Villa.

Do you need to be almost perfect to win the title?

We’re going to try to be as good as we possibly can tomorrow night. That’s the objective. They are a really good side, that’s why they beat us last season. We proved as well when we played them at Villa Park that they are a really difficult opponent, so we will prepare in the best way to win.

Can you still challenge for the title without any reinforcements?

At the moment we don’t have them. We are trying, as I said, actively to find the best possible solution. We will have to wait and see what we can do.

What profile in forward are you looking for?

Obviously, that is not something I’m going to discuss here. We have lost two massive players for us in the front line and we need some support there.

Is midfield an area you are looking to strengthen in considering an understanding that the club are keen on Martin Zubimendi?

We have certain situations with contracts expiring. We can renew those contracts like we have done in the past. We are always actively evolving the squad and understanding what the players want to do when they finish our contracts together, and we have to be prepared.

How do you go about retaining the level we saw against Spurs?

Well, when we play every three days obviously that’s the type of performance that we want. The performance has been there afterwards is about the result and a few things didn’t go our way the first few minutes of the match especially the dominance that we showed going 1-0 down was tough but mentally I think the team showed an incredible resilience, patience composure and overcome the situation and win the game.

Are the players thriving under the pressure of chasing Liverpool down?

I think so. I think if you want to be fighting for the top trophies with the top teams like we have been for the last eleven months, two and half years now, you have to enjoy those types of moments, those kind of circumstances, those challenges, the pressure that comes with it because I mean we playing to win and that exactly where we want to be.

Can pressure be a positive thing?

Well, I think the pressure comes form within. I think no one can put pressure on you. I think it's the wrong way round and if that’s the case it's probably you’re not doing, or preparing in the right way. You have to try to be the best as you possibly can and there’s no more pressure on you, daily, when you have this commitment with yourself to achieve that.

Villa next, you beat them earlier, how wary are you of their threat?

Well we know the difficulty because of the team that they are that’s why they’re performing so well. They have an excellent coach, very good players, really good organisation, we are so used to it in the Premier League, it's not so different every three days so tomorrow we’re going to have to be really good again to deserve to win the game.

How realistic is it of putting right the wrong of saying we’re the best team but not winning a major trophy?

In that case I refer to the stats, when you look at all the stats that are relevant to that that’s what the stats said. But the reality is that we weren’t because someone else has one the title. But the reality is that we weren't because somebody else won the title. So that's something, there's a margin there that we still need to improve and be better.

Renee Slegers appointed this morning permanently. What's your reaction?

Very happy, obviously. She's done a phenomenal job since she joined the role and I'm very happy for her. Very happy for the club as well because promoting someone that was already with I think is a very strong signal and a very good decision, I must say. So very happy for her.

What's the reaction been like at the training ground from the players and the staff after the NLD? Have you noticed a difference?

It's very good. Really happy in the dressing room, really happy the next day and then let’s start with Vila. That's it. I mean, the enjoyment or the bad mood that we can be when you don't win, it has to disappear immediately because the focus has to be on the next match and how we prepare in the best possible way.

You've spoken before about the good runs you've been on and how momentum is so important to keep up the good results back-to-back. So how important is it to not let that fall and take the chance to build a good run with the game against Villa?

Yeah, well we've been in the position that we are in because we've been very stable. When you look at the run in the Premier League in the last 11, 13 matches, I think it speaks for itself not only the result but the performances. But we’re doing it again and again and again, every three days, different competitions and that's what we want to achieve.

Do you feel this has been a massive week in the title race?

Well, it's always important when you're able to win and capitalise on other teams dropping points. It's always a great week. First of all, because you win and secondly, because obviously for the rest is not what they wanted. We need many more of those at the moment because of where we are and we need to stay very, very focused to understand that.

If we do what we have to do, there will be a chance in some moments.

Haaland contract, are we going forward with deals like this?

I don't know. It looks like. obviously there's been a few examples of that. I don't know. I don't know if every club is going to take that route, the reasons for it. I think it will be very particular cases. Maybe we start with managers as well, doing ten-year contracts. With the physios and the journalists. I don't know.

Would you like a 10-year contract?

At the moment I have enough. I'm very happy with what I have.

One thing you have got is a set-piece coach who is clearly quite good at his job can you give an insight into Nicolas Jover's work’s importance?

Well, yes. We conceded a goal from set-pieces the other day.

I was thinking more positively?

It's a balance. If you score and you concede, at the end the balance is zero. So that's how it is. We have Nico, who is responsible for that and many other things that he does.

It's just a small part of his job that he does really well and the players follow it. We have some good momentum and now it's about maintaining it, the attacking and the defensive part because it's so related.

But does he just come up with ideas? Or do you go to him and say, I've got an idea?

Everything that we do is shared and it's not an idea that comes from today. It's some work that we started many years ago and it's constant development. Because what we're doing now, I'm sure that in three months, in six months, in nine months, it's not going to work. So you constantly have to evolve it.

What type of challenges do you set players like Saka and White when they're not on the field and what do they have to do off it to improve themselves?

First of all, the main part is the psychological part of how they feel emotionally. Because being a long time without doing what you love is not easy. Your routine changes completely. You are much more isolated because you're not going to work. That takes a little while to handle and to settle. First of all, give that support to the players.

Then the physical condition that they can maintain or improve in relation to the injury that they have is really important. And then use that time as well for other things. Because, for example, Bukayo hasn't had any time off in the last two seasons. So, it's a moment that if he can have a break as well and enjoy the parts of his life, great.

To be closer to the family, great. To learn about the game, certain aspects that he can still improve and develop. We are doing that. So that's what we're doing.

What’s it been like having to manage Jurrien's minutes as he replaces Ben but having come back himself from a huge injury?

Yes, unbelievable what he's done. Especially because he's done it on the right. He's done it as a left full-back as well. And we put in huge demands. That's the thing.

That's obviously when the squad is short and on top of that you have injuries, quite a lot of injuries like we had. You start to load more players, which is not ideal, obviously.

Were you involved in the decision to start the change to Myles Lewis-Skelly's position?

When I saw him and to give him a chance with the product we had in the academy, the moment I saw him, the only way I could think was to change his position. You want to have a chance here.

I spoke to him and I said, 'this is where you're going to have it'. Because I think it fits a lot his quality, the way that we play and it fits because we have necessities in the position. So we started to work on that. He put it into it straight away with the personality that he has. The other thing is very obvious and now he's doing it.

You spoke to him about his defensive duties against Leverkusen, how have you assessed that specific growth?

Well, adapting to the role is not just on the defensive part. I think physically, very different demands. You're facing wingers a lot of times in that position. You have to be part of the defensive line.

You have to know when to release, when to not. When the ball is on your side, how you have to defend the box. Something that he wasn't used to do that. And then all the attacking process on top of that.

So it’s quite a lot. He's dealing with that in a great way physically as well. Physically he's matured a lot in the last year or so. And they had a great performance with that.

Has the want for signings now changed to a need for signings?

The word you mean?

Yeah.

Well, obviously we have more necessity now because of what happened in the last few weeks. That's obvious.

How difficult is it to operate in the market when everyone knows that you want a forward?

I think it's more a question for Jason [Ayto]. I don't know, but I think we have to do what we think is right and we can do as well. And that's it. It's clear that we would like to improve the squad, especially with what happened. Can we do it or not depends on other factors.

Lewis-Skelly on the radar for England?

Let him settle where he is first and talk about the reality he has got in front of him and deal with that and I think that is more than enough for now.

Is it a two-horse race between Arsenal and Liverpool?

I don’t think so. I think when you look at every game in the Premier League and the margins and how teams are winning football matches it can go either way. In two or three weeks we could be talking about something different. We are still in January so it is going to be a long, long run.

On the atmosphere against Tottenham?

Brilliant. I loved it. I said it the day before. That is in our hands, we can look and feel sorry that it has happened with injuries, or this, or the referee or blah blah. But I saw a different bite to our crowd, a different body language, we were on top of every ball and we created an atmosphere with or without the ball and we had a real purpose and we were screaming and going into every ball in a very different way and I must say that I loved it.