Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has outlined the mentality he expects from his squad, as uncertainty continues to reign supreme over the futures of Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi.
Ozil has not featured since the Premier League restarted, apparently due to a back injury. Guendouzi, meanwhile, has been omitted since he grabbed Neal Maupay by the throat following the Gunners' last gasp defeat to Brighton last month.
Arteta had previously outlined that only players who were 'on the boat' would remain at the club, and he's now sought to clarify what he meant as he addressed the media once more - this time before Arsenal's trip to Wolves.
"Players that respect the values we want to implement, that they are 100 percent committed to our culture, and players that are accountable every day for what we demand from them," Arteta said, quoted by the Independent.
"Players that are ready to help each other, fight for each other and enjoy playing together. That is what I mean by being on the boat. If you behave like this every day, you are very very welcome here and we want to get the best out of you and help you to enjoy your profession with us."
Arsenal take on Wolves next as they seek to keep their slim hopes of Champions League qualification alive. The Gunners are currently six points adrift of Manchester United in fifth and require a flawless end to the season to sneak into the European places.
Arteta added that he'd been using training to scope out the mentality of his players, ahead of the club's crucial run of games.
"Now we don't spend as much time training as we used to before, but you see that in every reaction of the player," he said.
"What time he comes into training, how he comes, how ready he is, the way he communicates, the energy he brings in, the way he transmits his feelings to his team-mates, the way he reacts to certain things, the way he behaves in training, during games, there are a lot of things that we can pick up."
Source : 90min