Mikel Arteta has declared he is happy to see his players bickering after Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko had a spat in the win at Nottingham Forest – insisting a Premier League title race is not a Disney fairy tale.
The Arsenal boss then bizarrely attempted to make light of the on-pitch altercation when he remarked that he pair were now so close they were even “sharing wives”.
White and Zinchenko were separated by coaching staff after the 2-1 victory at the City Ground, a result which kept alive the Gunners’ title ambitions.
Asked if he liked to see his players arguing, Arteta replied: “Maybe we have a different understanding of what the word fight means.
“A conversation can get heated with emotion after the game when you are at 200 beeps a minute. It’s normal. Nothing new.
“I want to see passion and commitment. I want my players to always have the desire to be better and be demanding. If not it is Disneyland.
“I love it. As long as it’s in a respectful way and with the intention to be more demanding as a team and it stays there, I’m very happy with that.”
Arteta had earlier made a joke of the matter when asked if White and Zinchenko had made up.
“Yes, they’ve been in the same house the past few days sharing wives and everything,” he said.
“It’s fine they’re living together now. They’re best mates.
“You don’t argue with someone if you don’t have a great relationship. That happens because you have the trust and chemistry with somebody to react the way they did.”
Arsenal host leaders Liverpool on Sunday afternoon knowing defeat would leave them eight points off the summit.
Victory, though, could propel last season’s runners-up right back into the title picture and Arteta has pointed to recent success against their rivals.
“We have proven we can beat big teams, we come up against Liverpool now and we’re in a much better place,” he added.
“We talk about momentum. It’s been two wins and we want to make it three. It’s going to be an incredible atmosphere, we’re going to need that.
“I encourage people to play with us every single ball. We’re going to need that.”
Arsenal’s task will be made harder by the fact Thomas Partey remains unavailable after he suffered a training ground setback last weekend.
The Ghana midfielder has been missing with a thigh injury and had been hoping to return.
“Thomas unfortunately we had a little setback a few days ago,” added Arteta.
“He’s not going to be available in the squad. We’ll see if it’s a matter of days of weeks. But he had a little thing.
“(It is) a big concern because he is such an important player for us. He was getting some momentum at the start of the season and then we lost him for a while. Now it has been a long time without him.
“He gives us something different that no other player can give us in the squad so he will be a miss.”
Sessegnon rejoins boyhood club Fulham after Tottenham departure
Ryan Sessegnon has resigned for Fulham on a free transfer, five years after leaving the club.
The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cottagers with the option to extend for a further year following his departure from Tottenham last month.
In his first spell at the club, Sessegnon worked his way through the academy over 11 years, scoring 25 goals in 120 first-team appearances.
He then moved to Spurs in a £25million deal in 2019, though struggled to nail down a place in North London, making just 57 appearances in all competitions, and scoring three goals.
"It's amazing to be back. Emotional, as well," he told FFCtv. "It's where it started for me, where everything began, and it's amazing to be back.
"It will always be home for me. I think it had the feeling that it was meant to be, coming back here, so I'm delighted to get it done."
Sessegnon is Fulham's first signing of the transfer window, though they have seen plenty of first-team departures already, with Joao Palhinha, Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all leaving the club.
Dewsbury-Hall: Maresca will surprise people at Chelsea
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will "surprise a lot of people" when they watch the Blues this season.
The Italian led Leicester City straight back to the Premier League as Championship winners in his only season in charge and succeeds Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
The Foxes topped the second division table with 98 points, with Dewsbury-Hall a key figure in his squad as he netted 12 goals and provided 14 assists last season – his best tally in a single campaign.
Dewsbury-Hall was also named Leicester's Player and Players' Player of the Year.
The midfielder made the switch to West London earlier this month for £30million and is confident that Maresca will have Chelsea challenging for trophies in no time.
"The manager was a big catalyst in wanting me to come," Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Sport.
"I knew from Leicester, a club that went down and had a lot of problems, how he managed to galvanise that if everyone manages to buy into the system.
"I genuinely think in a short space of time we can be pushing for minimum top four - but more than that.
"He may be unknown for a lot of people, but he is top, top level. He will surprise a lot of people."
Chelsea's pre-season got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a 2-2 draw by League One side Wrexham in Maresca's first game in charge on Wednesday.
Dewsbury-Hall did not play in that match but is training with the squad in the United States and could feature in their next outing against Celtic on Saturday.
The 25-year-old is confident the manager's tactics will come across soon, with the players buying into his style.
"We've only been doing it for two or three weeks, but the combination plays are really quick and tidy," he added.
"That's after two weeks. I remember he said to us at Leicester after six months or a year, there might be teething problems at the start, but it will improve.
"Within the first week at Leicester, I was convinced this was top, top level. I felt a bit stupid; I thought I knew a lot about football, but he was teaching me things on a daily basis that I didn't really know before. He has an aura, he can be strict, or gentle and soft - he has both sides.
"I am getting the same feedback here with the lads. They've bought into it here from minute one which is exciting. With a system and philosophy, you need everyone to buy in because, if they do, you can really achieve something."
Ederson slams reports of rift with Man City backup Ortega
Ederson has hit out at reports of a rift between himself and fellow Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
The Brazilian was substituted after suffering a fractured eye socket in City's penultimate game of the Premier League season, a vital 1-0 win over Tottenham.
Ortega replaced him and made a brilliant save to deny Son Heung-min as City maintained their slender lead over Arsenal at the top of the table, sealing an unprecedented fourth straight title by beating West Ham five days later.
Ortega was widely lauded for his role in that triumph, and an article published by The Athletic this week suggested Ederson took issue with that praise.
However, the goalkeeper – who missed the Copa America as a result of his injury – has now moved to shut down those suggestions with a post to his Instagram story.
"I would like to clarify that the note published by The Athletic yesterday, referring to my alleged dissatisfaction with a co-worker, is completely false," he wrote.
"The alleged day reported was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult days of my career, when I suffered a fracture that prevented me from playing in the final stretch of the season and, consequently, from representing my country in the Copa America.
"At the time of the injury, my only thought was to continue in the match, defending City in the fight for the title.
"But the emotion of the match would be greater than the reality and, inevitably, I would not be able to continue as I would have liked due to the damage it caused, completely blocking my field of vision. I remain focused on preparing for the season."
Ederson has been linked with a transfer in recent days, reportedly attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs.
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