Arteta Moves On from Brighton Feud as Arsenal Pursues Record Start

Mikel Arteta insists the row with Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is finished business. The football, he says, will do the talking now.

The pair clash again on Saturday on the south coast, less than a year after Hurzeler lit the fuse with a stinging critique of Arsenal’s approach following a 1-0 defeat at the Amex in March. That night, the German claimed “only one team tried to play football” and accused Arsenal of “making their own rules”.

Those comments ensured this weekend’s touchline duel comes with extra edge, even as Arteta moves to cool the temperature.

Hurzeler, for his part, has not exactly rowed back. Asked this week if he stood by his remarks, he doubled down on the principle, if not the outcome.

“I think it's very important that in football there are opinions,” he said. “I will definitely always share my opinion if I am asked. But, in the end, I congratulate Arsenal for being deserved champions. They deserved it.”

Arteta, speaking on Friday, brushed away any suggestion of lingering bad blood.

“That's all done. That's all in the past,” the Arsenal manager told reporters. “I have huge respect for Fabian, and what he's done and what Brighton has done as a club.

“It's just remarkable, and tomorrow is going to be a beautiful game to watch, I'm sure.”

Title defence gathering pace

The backdrop to this reunion is an Arsenal side that has started the season at full tilt.

Four wins from four in the Premier League have taken the champions straight back to the top of the table. They opened their Champions League campaign with a victory over Napoli and, on Tuesday, moved into the League Cup fourth round with a win at Ipswich.

Including the Community Shield triumph against Manchester City, Arsenal have strung together seven straight victories. One more at Brighton, and they will match a 123-year-old club record for the best start to a campaign.

Arteta knows how fragile such runs can be at this level.

“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level. So, to win seven, it tells a story,” he said, as quoted by AFP.

“After the World Cup, there were a lot of unknowns about how the players and the team were going to react. We didn't have any time with them to work together.

“But I said from day one, the attitude and what I was seeing, I was really impressed with. Then you have to put it down to performances.”

Dowman makes his case

The surge has not just been about the established stars. At Ipswich, 16-year-old Max Dowman seized his chance and refused to let go.

The teenage playmaker scored twice in his first appearance of the season, a performance that underlined why he is already viewed as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League. After weeks as an unused substitute, he finally had a stage – and used it.

Has he been knocking on the manager’s door for more minutes? Arteta made it clear where those conversations really happen.

“The best way to knock on the door is to do it on the pitch, not in the office,” he said. “Then you just leave out the arguments. When a player delivers constantly on the pitch, every single day in training, that's the best way, that's the best signal for the manager.”

Contract talks parked, not paused

Away from the touchline drama and the winning streak, one issue continues to rumble in the background: Arteta’s contract.

Negotiations over an extension have been ongoing for months, but the Spaniard sounded calm, even dismissive of any concern.

“I think we are all very much aligned, whenever the time is right we'll get that done. There is nothing to be concerned about,” he said.

So the stage is set. A manager riding a perfect start, a teenage prodigy pushing for more, a club record within reach – and a rival coach who once accused Arsenal of bending the rules.

If this is all “in the past”, as Arteta insists, Brighton away is a ruthless place to prove it.