Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne & Tom Canton

Mikel Arteta's verdict on William Saliba and Gabriel after what happened between Arsenal pair

Mikel Arteta has been speaking ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash against Everton on Wednesday night, but first, he had to clear up the situation involving William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Following the Gunners' 1-0 win over Leicester City at the weekend, the central defensive pair appeared to clash at the final whistle with The Athletic's James McNicholas noting that "a few angry words exchanged between Saliba and Gabriel at full-time. Frenchman appeared to push his partner away. Some sort of disagreement. Sure it'll blow over."

However, replays have since shown that both Saliba and Gabriel were smiling during this particular exchange which suggests any sort of disagreement was a minor one and Arteta's response with regard to what happened between his first-choice defensive pairing was telling.

READ MORE: Arsenal press conference LIVE: Mikel Arteta on Gabriel Jesus return, Saka contract and Everton

"They are a happy marriage," the Spaniard said in his pre-Everton press conference. "As you can see they are very passionate and also very demanding. Everything is fine. Yes. I don’t want robots. I want players with feeling, with passion that make demands of each other, but that have that chemistry. And those two certainly have that chemistry on and off the field. I love that even when winning they want to do better."

It could have been that Saliba and Gabriel were reacting to helping Arsenal keep a clean sheet for the first time since the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur last month having conceded 10 times across subsequent games against Manchester United, Manchester City, Everton, Brentford and Aston Villa.

In fact, the Gunners managed to limit the Foxes Leicester to just one shot in the match which is their lowest on record since the 2003/04 season in a single Premier League game and Arteta was certainly delighted with the defensive display.

"Yeah with set plays, and some sloppy goals with individual errors which are part of football," the Spaniard said after the win at the King Power Stadium. "But the fact that we are not conceding goals and giving away chances is really important if you want to be constantly winning matches."

READ NEXT:

Marquinhos masterclass, Balogun surprise as Lokonga swap deal is proposed - Arsenal loan latest

Mikel Arteta set to hand Arsenal signing from Man City a key role against Everton

Arsenal U18s show 'fighting' qualities as Jack Wilshere sets FA Youth Cup challenge

Arsenal given massive boost as Gabriel Jesus expected injury return date revealed

Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.