Every word Mikel Arteta said on Viktor Gyokeres, cancelled training, transfers and Thomas Partey

Mikel Arteta has spoken to the media at the National Stadium in Singapore ahead of Arsenal's pre-season friendly against AC Milan on Wednesday evening. Landing in the country on Sunday, it is the start of a big two weeks for the Gunners as they prepare for the new Premier League season.

New Arsenal signings Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard have made the trip with their new teammates. Unfortunately for the Gunners, Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera are not present as their transfers from Sporting CP and Valencia respectively have not yet gone through.

Following their arrival in Singapore, Arteta spent time with the media at a press conference at the National Stadium to discuss the AC Milan game, the club's summer tour, transfers and so much more. You can read a full transcript of what the Spaniard had to say to the media below.

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How are preparations going and do you feel refreshed ahead of the new season?

A very good period in Spain. Trained really hard with the new signings. Super exited to be here. An incredible welcome from our supporters here, they are so passionate. And adapting to the context, the weather we were unable to train today. We have to adapt to those situations too and very excited to have a successful tour.

Do you feel the lift the new signings have given to the group?

It’s like shaking the tree again. Bringing new faces, they bring new excitement, new energy as well. We signed very important players as well. I think everybody feels that the heights have to go to different level and it’s what we are seeking.

How much of your job is psychological with this group now after going so close the last two or three years that they can go one step further this year?

They are fully convinced. The good thing is I don't have to convince them. They know how good they are and how close we have been. At the end it is those details that make you make the next step which we all want. It's just working on them and realising where they are.

The basic things that we need to have throughout the season to put us in the best competitive chances to put us in the best probability to achieve our goals. That is daily work. That is a responsibility in each individual as well.

How pleased are you to get Martin Zubimendi over the line?

It was a long process and he had a lot of opportunities to decide about whether he wanted to come. The good news is that this club is amazing and everyone wants to come to it. He left some very good opportunities to come to us.

We are all very impressed about what we have seen over the last 7-10 days. Because once you have the player daily and you see his character, his personality, his character and how much he is going to bring to the team. Very excited about it.

How close are you to signing Viktor Gyokeres?

I cannot comment on any player who is not part of our group yet. When we have something concrete to offer in any case to any player we will do that.

You've got four players through the door and do you expect more to join you out in Singapore?

There’s still a long time in the window and we are seeking still, in terms of numbers, we are short and we have to improve the depth and quality of the squad. We are constantly looking in the market. Until that happens, focus on the players we have and focus on them and I’m very pleased with what I have seen in the last 10-15 days.

Of the young players here today, who can we expect to see making a move trying to get into the first team for next season?

They have an opportunity and the window is open. Whoever knocks so hard and kicks that door is going to have that opportunity. We are going to have games now so it is up to them

Thomas Partey is not with Arsenal now and he is facing some very serious criminal charges. Can I ask for your reaction to that and obviously he's not an Arsenal player, was the prospect or possibility of those charges a factor in the decision not to renew his contract?

The club was very clear in its statement. There are a lot of legal matters that are very complicated so I cannot comment on any of that.

A lot of fans have questions over the way in which the matter was handled by the club. Do you feel confident and comfortable that the club followed all the right processes in that?

100%, yes.

What do you expect from Riccardo Calafiori in this second season at Arsenal?

It's a big season for him. He looks very, very excited. We know that one of the biggest things we have to achieve this season is availability. It's true that the main two injuries that he had were on international duty while he was playing with Italy. But these things can happen.

Now we want a player that is consistently available and performing at the level that he can do. Because he brings an energy and predictability to the team that we really are going to need. He was certainly missed for a big part of last season. Hopefully that second season with more understanding and a little bit more luck, which I think he will miss as well, we can see a great version of him.

Was it always the case to have this many players in before the tour starts and how eager are you to get many in as possible?

Ideally you want it from day one in pre-season. I think we have done very well so far, I'm very pleased with how the club has supported the necessities and improvements that we required in the team. I think Andrea and the team has done an excellent job as well trying to push everything forward. There's a long time to go in the window but we have still our hopes we can improve the team and we will continue to try and do that.

In terms of the players you brought in are you on schedule, behind schedule or ahead of schedule?

I'm very pleased, that's all I'll say. There are a lot of parties and things that we have to bear in mind to get a player over the line and here. I'm very hopeful that we are going to do it very soon.

Has it been a stressful summer for you?

Exciting. You see the club ownership and ambition we have, the alignment we have with everybody in the board and with everybody connected with Andrea. There is an excitement about the new season. Super positive about it.

Gabriel has returned to the training pitch, how he's training and when could he return to action?

We haven't seen them for six weeks and they come back older, more mature. Gabby with his new contract he showed his commitment to the club and to grow in his role. I am very pleased. He played 45 minutes against Watford [on Saturday]. He looks in good shape. We have missed a lot of players at the end of the season but they all look to be in the right direction and contributing on the tour.

Noni Madueke makes it eight players signed from Chelsea in last ten years, why do you think there is such a big relationship with Chelsea compared to other clubs?

Probably because they have some great players and a lot of players. We tried to focus on the players we want to sign regardless of the club they are in.