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As he approaches his half-decade plus one year as manager, Mikel Arteta has stated plainly that his continued role with the club is fundamentally dependent to delivering trophies.

A Look Back: The Arteta Era

The Spanish coach was appointed on 20 December 2019 and managed to steer the team to an cup win not long after. However, that early success is still his lone major honor since succeeding Unai Emery.

“I can,” he stated in response to a query about staying beyond 2027. “However, it is about today. And numerous factors must occur in the next few months as well to deserve that opportunity.”

This weekend sees the six-year milestone with a match versus Everton, the very same club Arsenal faced just after his hiring was confirmed.

The Current Landscape

As chasing Manchester City playing against West Ham in an earlier kick-off, Arsenal risk losing the summit in the Premier League for the first time. This comes despite Arteta overseeing a squad that has been plagued by over 100 injuries since the start of last season.

He currently has 18 months to run on the extension he agreed to in 2024, yet understands fully that results must come in the immediate future.

The Manager's Mandate

The manager expanded, stressing the ongoing need to validate his position. “In my view a manager needs to warrant the right to be here tomorrow. And that is determined by how you react, how you communicate, how you step into the dressing room, the signal you send.”

Arteta continued, commending the strong backing from the hierarchy, yet identifying the squad's dedication as paramount. “At the end, the key individuals are those players... For six years, I’ve seen just players with a level of attention, willingness to improve and dedicate themselves to the team.”

Latest Fitness Blow

The squad approaches the weekend fixture dealing with a fresh setback. Defender Ben White has been sidelined with a muscle problem that is anticipated to keep him out for several weeks.

Confidence in the Path

Regardless of the fitness woes and the high-stakes environment, Arteta is confident the club's “focus and dialogue” are vastly different from when he began his reign.

Arteta highlighted the squad's displays as proof they are close. “Examine the performances, all the historical marks we surpassed... We still haven't been able to do that [win trophies]. But that shows the standard we operate at.”

He finished by saying, “That is a level that the Premier League has not witnessed in the past. And our aim is to achieve greater objectives. And if we do that, I think we are on the correct trajectory to winning.”