What Mikel Arteta does on Zoom in Arsenal transfer trick before splashing the cash

Mikel Arteta’s project at Arsenal has made the Gunners one of the most attractive clubs in the world for potential signings, but the Spaniard has a unique way of judging who can handle the heat

Mikel Arteta can immediately tell who will be a good fit at Arsenal just by looking into their eyes during a Zoom call. The Gunners manager is known for his powers of persuasion when it comes to convincing elite players to sign for his team.

In recent transfer windows, Arteta has convinced some of the most in-demand and highly-rated players on the market to choose Arsenal. That’s played a key role in the north Londoners’ rise to become Premier League title challengers in each of the past three seasons.

Arsenal beat Manchester City to the £105million signing of Declan Rice in 2023, and then Liverpool, Real Madrid and City to the signature of Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi for £60m earlier this summer. Most recently, Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres chose the Emirates Stadium over Old Trafford, joining Arsenal for a fee of £63.4m.

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Almost every time, the new signing stresses how much of an influence Arteta had on their decision to join Arsenal. The in-depth tactics he communicates to the player, the personal connection he establishes, and the energy he transmits during initial conversations are crucial.

Those expertise and knowledge are things the Spaniard is hoping to bring to Under Armour, having been unveiled as the American sportswear giant’s global ambassador this week. The role will see him share his insights and understanding of the sport in areas such as brand development, talent identification and leadership, as well as developing the next generation of athletes with his role in Under Armour’s Next Programme.

Speaking at the announcement of his new role, Arteta noted that during the first video meeting with a prospective Arsenal player, he is not only pitching the club but simultaneously judging that individual’s capabilities.

He revealed that, at that stage, the player’s personality is the most important detail in whether they can succeed under him – whether they will sink or swim in the highly-pressurised environment of a Premier League title-challenging dressing room.

Arteta explained: “Personality [is the most important attribute for a player]. Without that, you have no chance. You have to look at somebody’s eyes.

“When I go to sign a player, sometimes it’s on Zoom and I open the laptop, it’s the first impression. Is this guy ready to put that jersey on, work in that dressing room and take all the noise that is surrounding his signing and deal with it in the right way?”

He continued: “And then we go to the qualities and how this player is going to relate to other people because at the end, this player is going to have to glide into the dressing room so you have to imagine this person with this personality and in this position and how they are going to connect with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.

“If these groups add this person, it’s going to influence this group but at the end of the day, they’re all going to have to connect with each other.”

His comments go some way to explaining why he opted to sign Gyokeres from Sporting CP last month. Arteta had been a keen admirer of Benjamin Sesko, then at RB Leipzig, until the Slovenian’s wage demands and Leipzig’s lofty price-tag prompted him and Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta to pursue another avenue.

Gyokeres, the goal-hungry striker Arsenal have lacked for half a decade, proved just how much he wanted the move by forcing through his Sporting exit, refusing to return to training and making it clear N5 was his priority. Gyokeres’ strong belief that Arsenal were the right club for him may have just been the reason Arteta decided to take the plunge on the Swede.

He repaid Gyokeres’ courage by not hesitating to play him or protect him by slowly edging him in during pre-season. And with Gyokeres expected to start when Arsenal begin their 2025/26 Premier League campaign on Sunday against Manchester United, we might see whether the tactician has successfully showcased his exceptional talent ID once more.

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