Arteta warns Arsenal of Sunderland test after Napoli win

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned his players they must remain fully focused when they face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, recalling the points they dropped at the same venue last season.

The Gunners head into Saturday’s, September 12, 2026 Premier League clash on the back of a victory in Naples, but Arteta insists their European success will count for little if they fail to reproduce their intensity against a Sunderland side he expects to provide another difficult test.

“We have to focus on the next match. We experienced last season how tough it’s going to be tomorrow night. It’s an unbelievable atmosphere, and it’s great to play in these kinds of games,” Arteta told reporters on Friday, September 11, 2026.

“We know how ready they’re going to be, we have prepared the game, we’re going to finalise the game today. We know the importance of it and we’ll be ready tomorrow to be on that pitch. We’ll compete like we always do, we’ll try to be better than the opponent and win the game.”

Arsenal were held at Sunderland last season after conceding late, a result Arteta believes provided important lessons for his team.

“Last year, we dropped points there, especially in the last minutes. We experienced and learned a lot from that game,” he said.

“Tomorrow, again, we’ll discuss many things that we need to be aware of and where we want to take the game, what their qualities are and how we’ll try to nullify them.”

The Arsenal boss also dismissed the significance of statistical projections placing Manchester City ahead of his side in the Premier League title race.

“I’m only interested in the probability of winning tomorrow – that’s the most important thing,” Arteta said.

“To make that as high as possible, and in order to achieve that, you really need to earn it on the pitch against a really tough opponent, as we know.”

Arteta revealed that his squad emerged from the Napoli trip without fresh injury concerns, while Ben White has also recovered sufficiently to be available.

“No, all good,” he said when asked about the team’s fitness.

“He’s fine,” Arteta added on White.

There was also encouraging news on Jurrien Timber, who has returned to full training, although Arteta stopped short of confirming whether the defender would feature against Sunderland.

“Let’s see, we have another training session. He’s been doing really well, he’s been training with us now for a few days and he looks in good shape,” he said.

Arteta also praised summer addition Ezri Konsa for the speed with which he has adapted to life at Arsenal, highlighting his leadership qualities and ability to bring teammates together.

“It’s certainly something to admire because it’s not easy at all and you should not take it for granted,” Arteta said.

“But after talking to a lot of people that have worked with him, whether they’re staff members or players, I already had a sense of the way everybody was talking about him, that he’s a person that is great at gathering people together, he has a real personality, a lot of leadership skills.”

“He’s done a really good job.”

The Arsenal manager was similarly impressed by Kai Havertz’s recent form, describing the Germany international as an intelligent player capable of adapting his role according to the demands of a particular match.

“The best position is in relation to what the game demands and what the team demands on the day – to be as efficient and unpredictable as possible,” Arteta said.

“Kai is extremely intelligent – that’s his biggest quality. He understands the game – he’s five, 10 seconds ahead. He knows what’s happening, he doesn’t need to think about it – he just acts, and it makes the people around him better which is another massive quality.”

“On top of that, he’s scoring goals, producing chances. He’s outstanding, and he’s in a great emotional state at the moment.”

With Arsenal also receiving several Ballon d’Or nominations, Arteta said the recognition reflected the progress made by the club collectively rather than individual brilliance alone.

“It says about where the club is at the moment, how well the club is doing. I think obviously the consistency that we’ve shown in our performances,” he said.

“Then those individual rewards are because the team does an incredible job together, so it’s good to see, they have transformed that into major trophies, that’s the important thing.” Arteta said.

The Gunners will be seeking to record their fourth straight Premier League win of the current campaign.

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