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Ahead of marking his six-year milestone as manager, Mikel Arteta has made it clear that his longevity in North London is fundamentally dependent to winning major honors.

A Look Back: The Arteta Era

The Spanish coach took over on the 20th of December in 2019 and soon guided the team to an FA Cup victory a short time later. Yet, that first major trophy is still his lone major honor following the departure of Unai Emery.

“I can,” he stated when questioned about his future past 2027. “But it’s about today. And a lot of things have to happen in the coming months as well to earn the right.”

Saturday night brings the landmark with a match versus Everton, the very same club Arsenal met just after his role was made public.

Present Challenges

As trailing Manchester City set to face West Ham in an earlier kick-off, Arsenal risk losing the summit in the Premier League before their own match begins. This situation arises despite Arteta presiding over a squad that has suffered over 100 injuries from the beginning of last season.

The manager is under a contract with a year and a half left on the deal he signed in 2024, but is acutely aware that results must come sooner rather than later.

Survival in the Job

Arteta elaborated, highlighting the constant necessity to prove his worth. “I think a manager has to earn 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 added, praising the unwavering support from the board and owners, but pinpointing the squad's dedication as paramount. “At the end, the critical component are those players... Over this half-decade, I’ve seen just players with a standard of focus, willingness to improve and give their all to the team.”

Squad Setbacks

The team faces the weekend fixture coping with a fresh setback. Defender Ben White has been declared unavailable with a muscle problem that is expected to sideline him for a few weeks.

Evolved Priorities

Regardless of the injury crisis and the immense scrutiny, Arteta feels the club's “priorities and messaging” are completely changed from when he first arrived.

The manager referenced the squad's displays as proof they are close. “Examine the performances, all the records that we... were breaking... We still haven't been able to do that [win trophies]. But that indicates the standard we operate at.”

In closing, the manager stated, “It represents a quality that the Premier League has not seen before in the past. And our ambition is to achieve greater objectives. And if we do that, I think we are on the right path to winning.”