New Arsenal signing Jaden Dixon talks Mikel Arteta, first-team path & title chances

TM exclusive interview 

Arsenal’s January transfer window wasn’t an overly busy one. It wasn’t particularly expected to be, with the Gunners flying high at the top of the Premier League and remaining in every cup competition after spending over €250 million in the summer. However, there was some business done with a view to the future. On Deadline Day, the North London club announced the signings of talented teenage attacker Evan Mooney from St Mirren and exciting 18-year-old defender Jaden Dixon from Championship club Stoke City.

The latter, who came through the youth ranks at rival club Tottenham and has represented England U19s five times, has already been training with the Arsenal first team. Dixon has a current market value of €300k, but that figure is expected to rise in the upcoming Premier League market value update, which will take place in early March. In recent years, we have seen the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman progress through Arsenal’s Hale End academy and make an impact with the senior squad. Dixon may just be one of the next talents on that conveyor belt. This week, Dixon sat down exclusively with Transfermarkt to discuss his move to the Gunners, working with Mikel Arteta, his future and route to first-team football, the winning mentality around the club and more.

Jaden Dixon: What it was like signing for Arsenal

Dixon completed his move to Arsenal on Deadline Day, signing a four year contract with the club. “I was super proud. It was a crazy feeling,” an elated Dixon told Transfermarkt. “Obviously Arsenal are probably one of the best teams in the world right now, they’re top of the Premier League, top of the Champions League, also still in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. So yeah, it was an amazing feeling. I was just mainly excited and couldn’t wait to get going. I have now got started, been there for the last two weeks, and I just can’t wait for the future.”

After the deal was completed, in early February Arteta told the media: “When we bring them early and when we know their characters and the pathway is clear, I think it makes that jump [to the first team] much easier.” When asked about what the message has been from the Spanish boss, Dixon responded: “The main thing was just that I need to come in and prove myself. Obviously, I’m going to start off mainly with the U21s, but I want to be able to prove myself that I can play in the first team and play in the Premier League because that’s the main goal. Being at a top, top club like Arsenal, it doesn’t get much better.”

Reports suggest that Arsenal fought off a number of other top clubs to get Dixon’s signature, with the defender’s profile catching the eye of many admiring scouts. “I think it speaks for itself really. Arsenal is a massive club,” stated Dixon as to why he chose the Emirates. “I think a lot of kids dream to play here so that was one of the main focuses for me. Obviously, although it’s a major club, they also give loads of opportunities to younger players so I think that was one of the main reasons as well. I wanted that pathway to be able to show how good I am and obviously get an opportunity.”

Jaden Dixon: ‘Stoke improved my game off the ball’

Dixon signed for Championship club Stoke City in the summer of 2023, joining from Spurs’ youth ranks. He made six appearances for the senior team, including two in the Championship and four in the cup. “I went to Stoke as a player that was mainly good on the ball and didn’t know that much off the ball, but I think Stoke really improved that side of my game,” revealed Dixon. “I improved many skills like my heading and getting physically bigger and being able to dominate my opponent in different ways. So I think that time was a really good thing for me.”

Versatility is a key word in Arteta’s team. In recent times, we have seen Mikel Merino play holding midfield, centre-midfield, attacking midfield and up front. We have also watched many Arsenal defenders switch seamlessly from the centre of defence to full-back. This is a skill Dixon also possesses, capable of playing at both centre-back and right-back. “I see myself mainly as a centre-back but I know that at right back I can do a really good job as well,” says Dixon. “So I don’t mind playing there and I know I can help the team playing there because I have different qualities that I can use in that position as well. But the main position for me is I want to be a centre-back when I’m older so that’s the main focus.”

Jaden Dixon: Training with Mikel Arteta & the first-team standards

As aforementioned, Dixon has already been training with the Arsenal first team, playing up close with superstars like Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. He’s also had first-hand experience of training under Arteta. On the touchline, when we see him in the technical area, the Spaniard usually comes across as very intense and passionate, demanding every inch out of his players. But is it the same Arteta in day-to-day training? “Yeah, 100 per cent, he’s the exact same,” admits Dixon, with a slight smile on his face. “He’s always demanding the best from you whether you’re a first team player or an U21 player because he wants to get the best out of training every day.

“I think that really helps the environment of creating and setting the standard that you want for a team that’s going to hopefully win the Premier League and win the Champions League. So yeah, he’s definitely the exact same, always driving the intensity. Arteta is really not scared to give young ones an opportunity if you show that you’re good enough. So I just want to be able to try and show that I am good enough for one of them opportunities and hopefully take it and be within the team.”

First-team training also allows Dixon the privilege of working alongside the senior centre-back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba, who are arguably the two best centre-halves in the world right now. “It’s a bit crazy being able to watch the best players in the world train,” says Dixon. “So seeing how seriously they take training and how they try and drive the standard of the whole session is really good for me. It’s nice to see something that I want to obviously be involved in as I’m getting older and become one of the mainstays like them lot in the team.

“Seeing that physical dominance and even the calmness on the ball is really good for me. So I just want to keep on learning and hopefully I’ll get to that level.” Arsenal are still competing for four trophies as we approach March and could be on the verge of a historic season, but they have been unable to get over the line and win trophies in recent years. Asked if he senses that this is a team ready to now be winners and get those trophies in the cabinet, Dixon said, “Yeah, 100%. I think there’s always standards being driven even when we’re out on the training pitch.

“If someone’s not looking like they’re doing as well as they can be, people are driving the standards. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that people want to get the best out of everyone. I feel like the standards are very high and hopefully it will lead us to winning games and ultimately winning the Prem. Even as U21s coming up to the first team, we are helping them with the sessions and stuff, pretending to be other teams and stuff like that to try and test them for their games coming up. I think it’s a massive thing because then they’re used to knowing what they’re going to be coming up against. So yeah, definitely helping in and around the changing room and in and around training is a major thing.”

Jaden Dixon: His future ambitions & the talent of Max Dowman

Another youngster who is making waves at Arsenal if attacker Dowman. This season he has already become the youngest ever player to play in the Champions League and the youngest player to start any game for a top-five league club this century. Dixon has already played with Dowman at youth level for the Three Lions and believes he has an extremely bright future: “The first time I was with him was with the camps for England U19s. I was just excited to see how good he really was because obviously he was so young – I think he was only 15 when he came. But when he came to be fair I was impressed, he was very good. Hopefully he will be able to break into the Arsenal first team properly soon as well and become one of the main players because I think he can be top.”

Dixon himself is also hoping for a similar trajectory and asked what is the ambition with Arsenal and England going forward, he said: “The main thing for me was that I want to be in the senior team for both. Pushing for England, trying to show how good I am, and trying to get into the Arsenal first team – trying to be a regular trainer and then try and get a few appearances and then also be a regular player for Arsenal first team, who are probably the best team in the world right now – that will be a dream. So, that’s the main thing for me.”