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On the eve of his six-year milestone as manager, Mikel Arteta has made it clear that his continued role with the club is directly connected to achieving success.

A Look Back: From Appointment to Present

The Spanish coach took over on the 20th of December in 2019 and managed to steer the team to an FA Cup triumph within months. But, that first major trophy remains his only major honor since succeeding Unai Emery.

“I can,” Arteta responded upon being asked about remaining in charge after his current deal. “Yet it's about today. And a lot of things must occur in the next few months as well to deserve that opportunity.”

Saturday night brings the six-year milestone with a game facing Everton, the very same club Arsenal faced just after his hiring was confirmed.

The Current Landscape

Given that chasing Manchester City playing against West Ham on Saturday afternoon, Arsenal face being knocked off top spot in the Premier League before their own match begins. This comes notwithstanding Arteta presiding over a squad that has endured in excess of one hundred injury setbacks since the start of last season.

Arteta is under a contract with a year and a half left on the deal he signed in 2024, however, he knows that success is required promptly.

Survival in the Job

Arteta elaborated, emphasizing the daily requirement to justify his role. “My belief is that a manager needs to warrant the right to be here tomorrow. And that is determined by how you react, how you talk here, how you go into the dressing room, the signal you send.”

He stated further, commending the consistent faith from the club's ownership, yet identifying the team's buy-in as paramount. “Ultimately, the most important ones are those players... During my tenure, I’ve seen just players with a level of attention, hunger for knowledge and dedicate themselves to the team.”

Injury Concerns

Arsenal heads into the upcoming game dealing with a fresh setback. Defender Ben White has been sidelined with a hamstring injury that is expected to see him miss action for a few weeks.

Confidence in the Path

Regardless of the fitness woes and the intense pressure, Arteta feels the club's “focus and dialogue” are completely changed from when he began his reign.

He pointed to the record-breaking achievements as evidence of progress. “Consider the performances, all the records that we... were breaking... We still have yet to do that [win trophies]. But that shows the caliber we've reached.”

In closing, the manager stated, “That is a level that the Premier League has not seen before in the past. And our ambition is to achieve more lofty ambitions. And if we do that, I think we are on the right path to winning.”