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Ahead of marking his sixth anniversary in charge, Mikel Arteta has stated plainly that his longevity in North London is fundamentally dependent to winning major honors.

A Look Back: The Arteta Era

The Spanish coach assumed control on the 20th of December in 2019 and promptly led the team to an FA Cup victory a short time later. But, that initial silverware remains his only major honor after taking over from Unai Emery.

“Absolutely,” the manager said in response to a query about remaining in charge after his current deal. “Yet it's about today. And numerous factors need to fall into place in the near future as well to deserve that opportunity.”

He will mark the anniversary with a game facing Everton, the exact opponent Arsenal met the day after his appointment was announced.

The Current Landscape

As trailing Manchester City set to face West Ham on Saturday afternoon, Arsenal face being knocked off first place in the Premier League before their own match begins. This comes despite Arteta managing a squad that has been plagued by in excess of one hundred injury setbacks over the course of last season.

He is under a contract with 18 months remaining on the contract he inked in 2024, yet understands fully that results must come in the immediate future.

The Manager's Mandate

Arteta elaborated, highlighting the constant necessity to prove his worth. “In my view a manager must deserve the right to be here tomorrow. And that is determined by how you react, how you talk here, how you step into the dressing room, the instructions you give.”

Arteta continued, commending the consistent faith from the board and owners, yet identifying the team's buy-in as the key factor. “At the end, the critical component are those players... For six years, I’ve seen just players with a standard of focus, willingness to improve and give their all to the team.”

Squad Setbacks

The team approaches the Everton match managing a fresh setback. Defender Ben White has been sidelined with a hamstring injury that is anticipated to keep him out for a few weeks.

Evolved Priorities

Despite the injury crisis and the immense scrutiny, Arteta feels the club's “objectives and communication” are vastly different from when he initially took over.

He pointed to the team's performances as a sign they are nearing their goal. “You look at the performances, all the historical marks we surpassed... We still haven’t managed to do that [win trophies]. But that shows the caliber we've reached.”

Arteta concluded, “That is a level that the Premier League has not seen before in the past. And we want to achieve more lofty ambitions. And if we do that, I think we are on the proper course to winning.”