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As the build-up to Saturday’s game with Bournemouth continues, Mikel Arteta held his weekly press conference to discuss the game and a host of issues across the club.

On the agenda this week was his relationship with Scott Parker, Fabio Vieira’s first outing in an Arsenal shirt, and even training sessions open to our supporters.

Here’s everything Arteta had to say during the briefing:

to the latest team news:

Everyone is fine. As you saw, we had Cedric, Fabio and Emile playing with the U21s and they look fit, they’ve been training with us all week because they’re available for the squad.

for the confidence of the staff right now:

It’s great to win and perform the way we are at the moment, but it’s only two games, we’ve got a whole season ahead of us. Let’s focus on the next game and what we need to do and the areas where we can improve.

to not get carried away with our good form:

It’s just two games. It’s nothing, the whole season is left to play. We know that, we’re very aware of that and we’re very aware of the improvements we still need to make as a team to close games better, play better and that’s been our goal all week.

on the challenge posed by Bournemouth:

It will be a very tough match. I’ve been there many, many times, I know how tough it is and I know to expect a hectic atmosphere. They are a team used to winning because they had a very successful season last year, and this one has started well. I know Scott Parker very, very well and I know they will give us a very difficult game.

on Bournemouth’s style of play:

I think it’s a good mix between what Bournemouth used to do and what Scott is as a manager, and I think he’s evolved the team in a very positive way. They have a very clear idea of ​​how they want to play, a very clear identity as well and they execute that against any opponent and credit them with what they’re doing.

on Scott Parker’s coaching philosophy:

Really good. I have always admired him as a player, his character, I know him very well personally and I am very happy for him. The way he comes around and the way he wants to play this game, I think it’s great to have coaches who want to play the way he wants to play and I wish him the best of luck…apart from tomorrow!

On Parker’s fashion sense:

I think he’s always been that way as a player and I think he presents himself very well.

about the beginning of Gabriel Jesus with us:

Probably the biggest difference since I worked with him before is his maturity. Obviously, it’s been a few years, a few experiences, and as you mentioned his language has improved a lot. It plays a different role here, you can feel it right away. I’m glad he’s having a good time and doing great for the team.

on the main changes Gabby has made since his time at Manchester City:

There are not many differences. I think he’s improved a lot of areas of his game because he’s got more experience, he’s been working on it. For me, what makes the difference with him is his attitude, his will and his desire to win every practice, every ball in the game and that’s what makes him the player he is.

on the difference a confident striker can make to a team:

The best teams need top scorers and not just one, ideally three. When you have these players and they can achieve certain numbers, it gives you every chance to be at the top of the table.

if our good start has changed our transfer plans:

No, we are still in the same position. Obviously, the market gives you a lot of information and something that you might expect you might get, that you’re not getting and the same when there are entries and exits. But we are focused on the players we have now and getting the best out of them.

on senior players appearing in the under-21s:

One hundred percent. I think there were three different cases; Marquinhos has been playing with the under-21s, and we don’t think it was necessary for him to play again. Fabio and Emile: They’ve been injured, they haven’t had any minutes, they needed that exposure.

With Cedric it was more about giving him the option. He wasn’t in the squad last week, he hasn’t played many minutes in the preseason. We have to give them the option. He immediately said he wanted to play, and you can see the attitude he has.

when you start looking at the league table:

After 10 or 12 games. I think that’s more or less when everything starts to play out a little bit, and you understand where you are. Because of the schedule, the games will play a big part, but I don’t focus too much on that. Probably late March, April is when it really starts to matter.

to ensure that only the right players are brought in:

He has to be the right person, and he has to be the right player. We only want to bring the highest quality through this door, otherwise it’s not worth it.

if the right player doesn’t come in and if you would be happy with the current squad you have:

I will be totally happy and focused on getting the best out of these players.

on interest in Nicolas Pepe from Nice:

What we can communicate, we always do when the time is right. We mentioned that we have a great squad, we’ve made some decisions and allowed some players [to leave]. Until the window closes, anything is possible with any player.

on whether Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be loaned out:

Again we are addressing these things personally and internally

on whether there is any update on Hector Bellerin:

Not right now. No update and it’s like the other situations.

to Granit Xhaka, and how proud he is of him:

You don’t need the bracelet to be one of the leaders. It is his personality and the way he approaches his profession that makes him a special player. I think it’s very important for the team. He’s proving it. What we need from him is to perform the same way or better.

on the idea of ​​open training sessions at the Emirates Stadium:

I think anything that brings us closer to our fans, we should try to do. The club is investigating.

on what he remembers from his first game in charge, against Bournemouth:

It was raining, I got really wet! I was excited and nervous, and really looking forward to what was to come. It seems like a long time ago.

on how he’s changed as a manager since then:

I really believe I think that the team and the club need a certain person in every phase and at every moment. I think that the coach or the manager that the team, or the club needed a year ago is different from what it needs today. You have to be constantly evolving because now we have to push this club into another gear.

Before there were times when we probably had to give a lot of protection, and keep players in the right place so they don’t fall. So this is evolving and we as individuals, especially people who have a lot of decisions, need to inspire others, we need to evolve and change as well.

on whether he now feels the team has his stamp:

It was from day one, because I made the decision to come here to train these players. I always felt that they were our players, and we always tried to get the best out of them and try to make them better. Obviously, when we start recruiting, we want to recruit alongside the club, with players who we believe can make a difference together, and that’s what we’ve been doing.

on Aaron Ramsdale facing criticism:

I think Aaron has been really good at the start of the season. what you saw [in the documentary series] it is a very specific moment. If you put the cameras on when someone makes a mistake, you see that it hurts and it takes a few days to swallow and you can see how the families suffer. I think it’s good to see this view that players actually care.

on whether he is considering playing Fabio Vieira on the right:

Fabio’s versatility is something that has caught our eye and we think he will give us a lot of options. It’s about nurturing how they work together and the type of players Fabio needs around him to exploit his qualities, which we think can be very powerful in this side, so we’ll have to wait and see how he develops.

on how to install Marquinhos:

I am very happy with him. He has settled in very well and is a very nice figure in and around the Colney dressing room. His language is still not great, but I think his physicality has been quite exceptional, for someone who has come from Brazil and has a different way of training and playing, but he has done it.

I think he has the qualities for how we want to play. We’ll keep him here for a few more months and make sure he settles into the club and the team, and then we’ll see what’s the best move for his career.

on whether he will participate in the Premier League:

For each player, there is an option to play it. If he trains and convinces us that he is at the level to do it, then he will get that chance.

on linking Bukayo Saka to a new contract:

I am very sure that as a club, Bukayo and his family and his agent we are very much aligned with what we want to achieve. I would like to see this done because I don’t want the player or anyone to be distracted in the middle of the season, but these things take time and they have to go through the right process.

on a possible partnership between Vieira and Smith Rowe:

We want players to improve each other, and to do that, first of all, there has to be chemistry between those players, an understanding and time and different qualities that they need to achieve what we want.

We are building this relationship; Fabio has been training with us for a week now, so he needs to develop it and see where he clicks and where he can have a big impact for the team.

on whether this will help improve decision-making in the final third:

We need to continue to develop that and be more unpredictable and a bigger threat in the future.

on whether he intends to go to as many U21 games as possible:

When we have time, we want to take the opportunity to be there, be close to them and support Mehmet, the coaches and the players. We need to build the connection between the first team and the academy and be very aligned in how we want to play, develop our players and basically bring talent into the first team. This is the goal we have as a club.

on managing a deep team:

I think the first three or four weeks of the competition are tricky because we only play once a week as there is no Europe or cups and we will manage the frustration of the players who are not in the squad. But it’s a long season and everyone will have their chances.