What symbol does tying down Bukayo Saka send for what Arsenal are trying to do?
He's the player that represents every value that this football club stands for. He is coming through the academy, big credit to everybody that has been involved in the process of developing t
he player and the person he is today.
He has come into our hands really mature, really focused and really well developed. His knowledge about what he needs to do in the game, it was really important for me to keep him. I have big belief in him and from now on I will be demanding more and more because hopefully he can give us more in the future.
Were your players responding as you wanted them to?
It's part of the process that we have to respect and we can [only] give them so much in certain moments. It has been a really difficult season since I joined with the amount of games we had in December and the break we had during the lockdown but they are so willing.
They are completely on board with what we are trying to do, a lot of things have convinced them even more that this is the right direction to take as a team.
We still have to work on many things, the way we manage the game in certain moments. We cannot give anything to the opponent, we did that again tonight but overall I'm really happy with the attitude, the understanding of the game and what it requires to control it and expose it.
How far is Dani Ceballos away from committing to Arsenal?
Both clubs have been in communication. I really like Dani. He wasn't available when I joined because he had a difficult injury. He is understanding what we are trying to do really, realy nicely.
He has a big personality to play, take the ball in any area of the field and give the continuity that we need as a team to control the game. As well without the ball, the running he is putting in, the tackles and interceptions, his desire to win the ball back and help the team is improved so much.
He looks a really good player at the moment.
Did you expect Cedric Soares to score a goal like that?
I said in the final third he has probably the best end product of the full-backs we have. It's one of the main qualities he has. He showed that tonight, the way he can finish.
I'm so happy for the boy. He has brought great energy and a lot of positivity to the group even though it has been really difficult for him with injuries and the fracture that he had in his nose.
So I'm glad for him, he made his debut, he scored a goal and we got the three points. A perfect night for him.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has reached 50 Premier League goals faster than Thierry Henry, how many more can he get?
Hopefully at least another 100! I don't know, I'm not a magician. What he has achieved today to be the fastest to score 50 in the history of this football club tells you everything about his mentality and the way he works every day on his finishing and helping the team.
He decided to be better and better every day so hopefully we can keep him here for a longer period.
How talented a striker is Aubameyang and how important is he?
A player that is able to score as many goals as he has in that short a space of time tells you everything about his importance to us. We need players that can make the difference in any moment of the game every three days in different competitions.
That's a big task to have and he's done that at different clubs. He's willing to stay with us. He's really happy where he is. He can see what we're trying to do.
Hopefully he can evolve as well, some parts of his game that he can improve. We're pushing him every day towards that.
Granit Xhaka finished with the armband, has he come full circle?
Absolutely. He's a player that his commitment goes beyond anything normal. He leaves every drop of blood on that football pitch every day and he does the same in training.
For me he's a great example to any other team-mate, the way he looks after himself and lives his profession. I'm really happy that we could convince him to stay, to give him another opportunity to learn from the mistake that he made and appreciate the player and person we have at the club.
When someone has a difficult moment we are right behind them. We're showing everybody we can give them another chance.
Why is Matteo Guendouzi not in the squad?
For the same reasons as last week.
Have you spoken to him? What does he have to change?
Things have to change and nothing has changed.
Aubameyang said we'll see about my contract - do you expect anything to happen before the end of the season?
I don't know. I'll leave that to the football club and the senior people that drive those types of contracts.
Auba knows really well my thoughts towards him, the project that I want to create and how much he's part of that. After that it's not in my hand.
Last week you were really confident about Saka
Because I knew!
Presumably Aubameyang is still a long way off
I don't know. I'm positive and I will remain positive that we can keep him here for many years but things have to progress.
