Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on playing against Frank Lampard: "I've seen a few videos of him and I saw on the pitch, what a player he was. He was one of my favourite midfielders by far.

"Why? He could produce, he could do absolutely everything. On that midfield, he was a top, top class player."

Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on what he thinks makes himself and Frank Lampard successful in the last 12 months: "Probably because we share the passion and the love for the game and that is something that fulfils you as a person and it gives purpose to your life.

"That's the reason why I do what I do, with the people that I do it with as well. And it brings me so much joy and happiness and it's a part of my life that is really fulfilling and I really enjoy it."

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on how hard it will be to defend their title: "We'll find out. We haven't done it before so I can't really tell you.

"I had experience in a different role and as I said before it's about what you put in daily, where you set the standards and have you done those day by day too, and the right to be where you want to be at the end of May, to give yourself the chance to win again."

Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on whether he has had time to enjoy the Premier League victory: "Yes, I have. To enjoy it, to reflect, it was time for everything. It was a long summer, longer than I would usually have.

"And yeah, just because I feel fresh, I feel motivated, I sense the enthusiasm around the place and that's exactly what I want."

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on Coventry boss Frank Lampard: "It's unbelievable. That's what I just mentioned, because I know all those stuff, because I watch a lot of their games, because I know what we're facing, and he was at Chelsea as well.

"So yeah, I think what he has done, it's remarkable. And I'm sure they will show the ambition on Friday night. So we are ready, because we know what to expect."

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on confidence going in to the first match against Coventry: "I think every game is different and we're going to face a really tough opponent.

"I think what they've done as a club is remarkable, what Frank has done is incredible and after so many years without being in the Premier League, they earned the right to do that and they've earned it in a really special way.

"Not only that they are where they are, they absolutely deserve [to be] where they are and I love the way they play and the courage that they show in every game."

Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on mentality: "We need to breathe and we need to take this organically because this is going to be a long marathon as well.

"What we need to show is that this desire and ambition is to be better than what we were last season, a month ago or last week when we played Manchester City.

"We have the ability to improve, to evolve. That is what I sense and feel around the club and especially around the players."

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on Gabriel Martinelli, Ethan Nwaneri and outgoing players: "Without talking specifics, that's something we are working on with every individual to understand, I would like to have the squad as big as possible because we know what we are fighting for, how long this is.

"I have learnt from last year when we got in some difficulty, especially when we have two or three injuries in the same area. So, the deeper the squad we have, the better.

"We have to manage that. But the players have to feel important and valued, in order to do that, they need to play minutes."

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on letting players leave: "It's a really, really tough moment. We need to face that reality, but I think you need to face it with real honesty and transparency because when you are on the other side, that is exactly what you need.

"You might not like what you have been told, but if it is truthful, if it is the reality, if it is honest, and it is going to help you make better decisions and have more clarity for the nest steps in your career, you have to do that and these are always very difficult conversations but they need to be done.

"It is like when a player doesn't feel that he belongs or he's important. He wants to have a different chapter.

"That communication has to exist and it has to be both ways and we all know that, at the end, everything has a start and an end, and when it comes to the end, I think our duty, our responsibility, is to do it in the best possible way, maintaining the respect and the admiration for the player and the relationship but understanding that at the end, we need to make football decisions."

Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on signing defensive players: "Well, we are really active in the market. I think that I mentioned a few days ago, the ambition is to improve the squad.

"Obviously, we have a specific issue in the background. Especially with the long term injury in William Saliba, the fact that we miss one more defender, that's clear. We are trying to reinforce that area and whenever we are ready we will announce something.

"I am always positive, I am always confident. But it is something I cannot control. It doesn't just depend on us. So we are willing to improve that area and we're going to try our best to achieve that."

Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on how different the start of the season feels as champions: "I feel good, different, hopefully better. I'm more excited than ever, hungrier than ever, and I cannot wait to start the Premier League at home in front of our supporters, and have a great performance and win the match."

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on retaining their Premier League title: "Those teams have an incredible quality, which is to maintain the standards daily at the really highest level.

"This is the opportunity that we have. I have no questions that our players have the desire and the ambition to do that. Now it is something we have to earn and do daily."

Arsenal

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Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are fit to be involved against Coventry, says Mikel Arteta. The Arsenal duo returned late to pre-season after being involved in England's World Cup campaign.

On Bruno Guimaraes, who came off at half time in the Community Shield, Arteta says "lets see how it is".

Jurrien Timber is not back training with the main squad following injury.

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is addressing the media now, we will have full quotes from him shortly.

He has said that Myles Lewis-Skelly will "100%" be an Arsenal player when the transfer window shuts.

Lewis-Skelly has been linked with a move away from the Gunners, with Manchester United and Chelsea linked.

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Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Having won four titles in a row from 2020-21 to 2023-24, Manchester City have fallen just short in the past two seasons, and Joe Hart believes Arsenal's players are about to find out how difficult it is to stay at the top like Pep Guardiola's teams did earlier in the decade.

Recalling his two titles with City in 2011-12 and 2013-14, neither of which were defended successfully, Hart told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club: "I was walking on water at that time. I actually thought I was 'that guy'.

"Football finds a way, really quickly, of showing you that you're not. And when things started to unravel, which they will in any season, [they] seemed to really unravel because all of a sudden [you're under] that kind of champion scrutiny.

"And it's really important how Arsenal are going to handle that, but Mikel Arteta has done a brilliant job, and he makes really big decisions and bold decisions. And it's about how you handle that first hurt.

"It's ironic that getting to the top is the easy thing, it really is."

Arsenal

We asked for your views on Arsenal's biggest issue to fix after pre-season and what might happen before the end of the transfer window.

Here are some of your comments:

Des: Getting rid of Ethan Nwaneri will be a big mistake. Noni Madueke will slowly play himself out of contention unless he realises passing the ball quicker may help the team. Nwaneri could slot in and is a far better player than Madueke. Lewis-Skelly shouldn't be going anywhere either.

Felix: First of all, you have to try to get these players to sign for your club for the price you're willing to pay. Trying to get the most talented players is a tough thing when they already are in a top club. So you try to continue the players of your project. That's the only reason why they could change their mind. Atletico Madrid and Juventus want the same thing as Arsenal, to become a super club for the next 10 years with the strong holders in their teams.

James: Without a new striker, Arsenal will win nothing of consequence.

Reuben: Overall, I don't think any other transfers are necessary because of a lack of depth. In pre-season, Marli Salmon has shown his potential and has become more reliable. He plays centre-back and right-back which are arguably the positions we lack depth in. Cristhian Mosquera can also play right-back as well as centre-back so we are in a good position currently. People will say we needed another attacking midfielder but Martin Odegaard has looked in fine form as proven against Manchester City and in the World Cup.

Makhapila: Keeping Gabriel Martinelli for the whole pre-season while the intention was to sell him in the first place does not make a lot of sense. There is no obvious left winger available unless we overpay for Bradley Barcola. Julian Alvarez seems out of reach. Maybe we keep him and look to upgrade that position in January? Selling now and leaving ourselves without any real pace in attack would certainly not be the smartest move.

So as you can see, we've already had a few managers addressing the media - we will be picking up the best quotes from those throughout the afternoon.

But Mikel Arteta is about to address the media as Premier League champions Arsenal open the 2026-27 tomorrow night against newly promoted Coventry City.

We eagerly await the arrival of Arteta at London Colney, sooooon...

Premier League

Hull - 1300

Palace - 1300

Bournemouth - 1330

Sunderland - 1330

Chelsea - 1330

Forest - 1400

Arsenal - 1400

Newcastle - 1600

Man Utd - 1730

Premier League

Friday

Arsenal v Coventry - 2000

Saturday

Hull v Manchester United - 1230

Everton v Crystal Palace - 1500

Ipswich v Sunderland - 1500

Nottingham Forest v Leeds - 1500

Brentford v Tottenham - 1730

Sunday

Brighton v Aston Villa - 1400

Manchester City v Bournemouth - 1400

Newcastle v Liverpool - 1630

Monday

Fulham v Chelsea - 2000

As always, we would love to hear your thoughts as the countdown to the start of the Premier League season moves from days into hours.

How are you feeling about your club's season ahead - Excited? Nervous? Whatever your mood, give us a shout by clicking the 'Get Involved' tab.