Mikel Arteta says he wants ‘respect and commitment’ from Arsenal players after Aubameyang saga

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he wants “respect and commitment” from all his players, after a turbulent month in north London.

Arteta has overseen a difficult few weeks that involved stripping off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as captain of the club, and dropping him from the first team.

He has missed two matches, and it is understood that he will not feature against Norwich on Boxing Day.

There are concerns that Arteta is overstretching his power as a manager, but the former Manchester City coach has insisted he will not compromise on passion and commitment from everyone, including himself.

He said: “I just ask for one thing, it’s respect and commitment, that’s all.

“And if you don’t ask for that at this level, I think I will pack my bags and go somewhere else because that’s the minimum you can ask for.

“I am sorry but I am going to expect that [respect and commitment] from everybody who works for the club. First of all, myself.

“And the day I don’t do that, I walk through that door and go and do something else. It is as clear as that.

“To be successful you have to be passionate about something and you want to represent a club of this size with its history, that is the minimum standard you have to bring.

“I am not going to ask anybody to put the ball into the top corner every time they hit it, but I will ask them to do the right things every single day for this club. That is for sure.”

Arteta joined Arsenal as manager in 2019, and in two years has transformed the squad, even if results have been inconsistent.

He fell out with Mesut Ozil before the German left the club, but the Spanish manager says he doesn’t seek to establish his power by falling out with players.

He added: “I don’t establish my authority by being dictatorial or trying to be ruthless.”