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On the eve of his half-decade plus one year as manager, Mikel Arteta has admitted that his continued role with the club is directly connected to winning major honors.

A Look Back: Six Years in Charge

Arteta was appointed on December 20th, 2019 and managed to steer the team to an cup win not long after. However, that initial silverware remains his only significant piece of silverware since succeeding Unai Emery.

“Yes,” Arteta responded when questioned about remaining in charge after his current deal. “However, it is about today. And numerous factors must occur in the near future as well to warrant that continuation.”

Saturday night brings the landmark with a fixture against Everton, the exact opponent Arsenal played just after his role was made public.

League Position and Pressure

As trailing Manchester City taking on West Ham earlier in the day, Arsenal risk losing first place in the Premier League before their own match begins. This comes despite Arteta overseeing a squad that has been plagued by over 100 injuries from the beginning of last season.

The manager is under a contract with 18 months to run on the extension he agreed to in 2024, yet understands fully that results must come sooner rather than later.

Earning the Right

He went on to explain, stressing the ongoing need to validate his position. “I think a manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow. And that depends on how you react, how you talk here, how you go into the dressing room, the signal you send.”

Arteta continued, expressing gratitude for the consistent faith from the board and owners, but pinpointing the players' commitment as most crucial. “At the end, the key individuals 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

The squad faces the Everton match managing an additional absence. Defender Ben White has been ruled out with a hamstring injury that is likely to see him miss action for the coming weeks.

A Different Club

Regardless of the fitness woes and the immense scrutiny, Arteta feels the club's “priorities and messaging” are profoundly distinct from when he began his reign.

Arteta highlighted the record-breaking achievements as evidence of progress. “You look at the performances, all the records that we... were breaking... We still haven't been able to do that [win trophies]. But that indicates the level we are at.”

In closing, the manager stated, “This is a standard that the Premier League has never experienced in the past. And our aim is to achieve more lofty ambitions. And if we do that, I think we are on the proper course to winning.”