Published: 15 March, 2012
by TOM FOOT

THE Gunners will face a testing trip to Goodison Park next Wednesday and one player who simply can’t wait for the game is Mikel Arteta.

As he prepares to return to his old club for the first time since his summer move to north London, the Spaniard told Arsenal.com: “Visiting Everton next week will be really special for me.

“It’s going to be weird to sit in the other changing room, warming up in the opposite half of the pitch and having the crowd against us. I just want to enjoy it.

“I really can’t wait to go there, and I hope I’ll get a good reception because I gave Everton everything I had in my time there and I love the club.

Everyone there was great to me and even though I left hopefully people understood.

“There’s no reason for any of us to be unhappy with each other.”

Meanwhile Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he will not stoop to Harry Redknapp’s level and define Arsenal’s season on whether or not they take the north London bragging rights.

Before the Gunners’ 5-2 derby win at the Emirates last month, the Tottenham manager said the “most important thing” was to finish above Arsenal.

But Wenger says he couldn’t care less about Spurs and that he was more interested in his squad’s “good vibes”.

Speaking after the thrilling 2-1 win over Newcastle on Monday, he said: “I don’t know about Tottenham, I don’t focus on Tottenham.

“We played well recently against them. But we played well against Sunderland and Liverpool too. We need to keep our feet on the ground.”

After five straight league wins, Arsenal are top of the form table and breathing down the neck of north London rivals Tottenham who are sitting in third.