Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has now explained the decision to set up an early training camp in Marbella this summer.
Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff are currently in Marbella with a portion of the Arsenal first-team squad, preparing for the upcoming campaign.
The Gunners have started their preparations for the new season early on this occasion, as they are seeking to gain a head-start on their rivals.
Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, and Reiss Nelson were the first to join Arteta in the Spanish city, soon to be followed by Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus, and club captain Martin Odegaard.
However, whilst the players are getting work done on the training pitch, this is not the most formal of camps. Players’ families are also present in the coastal city, and the group are afforded plenty of free time with which to enjoy their holiday period.
Odegaard recently provided an update on how well the Arsenal venture to Marbella is going, and fans will be hoping that the benefits of this trip are obvious when the team first takes to the pitch during their pre-season tour of the USA.
Mikel Arteta reveals reason for unusual Arsenal training camp in Marbella
Clubs do not usually reconvene their players so early on during the summer period, but clearly Arteta feels that there is a benefit to be gained by doing so, and it would seem that the players involved are all on board with the plan.
The manager has now explained his thinking in greater detail. Speaking to ESPN, the Spaniard said: “It is a long break for some of the players that haven’t had international football, and nowadays we need top-level athletes at the level that we are competing and the schedule that we have.
“So we believe it was the right thing to do, to bring them in a little bit earlier and start connecting with the team, to check the physical levels and to start to get a good preparation. They still have some time off, some downtime to enjoy. Marbella gives you a bit of everything and I think it is working really well.”
Of course, the Gunners have felt the benefits of a group trip abroad before. Midway through last season, Arteta took his Arsenal squad to Dubai. This sojourn sparked a turnaround in the team’s form, fuelling their title charge in the second half of the campaign.
Of course, plenty of Arsenal players aren’t in Marbella, due to their involvement at either Euro 2024 or in the Copa America.
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