Arsenal's Manager Concedes Future Role Is Tied to Securing Trophies.
As he approaches his sixth anniversary in charge, Mikel Arteta has stated plainly that his future at Arsenal is fundamentally dependent to winning major honors.
A Look Back: The Arteta Era
Arteta was appointed on December 20th, 2019 and promptly led the team to an cup win within months. Yet, that initial silverware remains his lone major honor after taking over from Unai Emery.
“Absolutely,” Arteta responded in response to a query about remaining in charge after his current deal. “However, it is about today. And many things must occur in the next few months as well to deserve that opportunity.”
Saturday night brings the six-year milestone with a fixture against Everton, the very same club Arsenal met the day after his appointment was announced.
Present Challenges
With second-placed Manchester City set to face West Ham in an earlier kick-off, Arsenal face being knocked off the summit in the Premier League prior to their fixture. This situation arises despite Arteta presiding over a squad that has been plagued by in excess of one hundred injury setbacks from the beginning of last season.
Arteta is tied down by 18 months remaining on the contract he inked in 2024, however, he knows that success is required in the immediate future.
Survival in the Job
He went on to explain, stressing the ongoing need to validate his position. “My belief is that a manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow. And that’s how how you react, how you talk here, how you step into the dressing room, the instructions you give.”
He added, praising the consistent faith from the club's ownership, while singling out the team's buy-in as the key factor. “At the end, the key individuals are those players... For six years, I’ve seen just players with a standard of focus, willingness to improve and give the maximum to the team.”
Squad Setbacks
The squad approaches the upcoming game dealing with yet another injury. Defender Ben White has been declared unavailable with a muscle problem that is anticipated to sideline him for a few weeks.
A Different Club
Despite the fitness woes and the intense pressure, Arteta is confident the club's “focus and dialogue” are vastly different from when he first arrived.
He pointed to the team's performances as evidence of progress. “You look at the performances, all the historical marks we surpassed... We still haven't been able to do that [win trophies]. But that indicates the level we are at.”
He finished by saying, “It represents a quality that the Premier League has never experienced in the past. And our ambition is to achieve greater objectives. And if we do that, I think we are on the proper course to winning.”
