Mikel Arteta
December 2025
Arteta has instructed his Arsenal squad to report for training on Christmas morning despite no Boxing Day fixture, insisting preparations cannot pause between a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Crystal Palace and a key Premier League clash with Brighton at the Emirates. Players are expected to have Christmas Eve off before returning to a squad under scrutiny for injuries, with Arteta denying his methods are to blame as he frames Saliba’s latest setback as compensation from an earlier ankle problem that still threatens his immediate availability.