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Ahead of marking his sixth anniversary in charge, Mikel Arteta has stated plainly that his future at Arsenal is inextricably linked to achieving success.

Reflecting on: Six Years in Charge

The Spanish coach was appointed on the 20th of December in 2019 and managed to steer the team to an FA Cup victory not long after. Yet, that first major trophy stands as his lone top-tier trophy after taking over from Unai Emery.

“Absolutely,” Arteta responded when questioned about remaining in charge after his current deal. “But it’s about today. And a lot of things must occur in the next few months as well to earn the right.”

Saturday night brings the six-year milestone with a fixture against Everton, the identical team Arsenal faced the day after his appointment was announced.

Present Challenges

As chasing Manchester City playing against West Ham on Saturday afternoon, Arsenal face being knocked off first place in the Premier League for the first time. This potential shift even with Arteta managing a squad that has been plagued by in excess of one hundred injury setbacks since the start of last season.

He is tied down by 18 months remaining on the contract he inked in 2024, however, he knows that success is required sooner rather than later.

The Manager's Mandate

He went on to explain, emphasizing the constant necessity to prove his worth. “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 communicate, how you step into the dressing room, the instructions you give.”

He stated further, expressing gratitude for the consistent faith from the board and owners, but pinpointing the team's buy-in as most crucial. “In the final analysis, the critical component are those players... For six years, I’ve seen just players with a degree of commitment, desire to learn and give the maximum to the team.”

Squad Setbacks

The squad heads into the Everton match managing an additional absence. Defender Ben White has been declared unavailable with a strain that is expected to see him miss action for a few weeks.

Confidence in the Path

Even with the fitness woes and the immense scrutiny, Arteta feels the club's “focus and dialogue” are vastly different from when he initially took over.

Arteta highlighted the record-breaking achievements as evidence of progress. “Consider the performances, all the club records that were shattered... We still haven’t managed to do that [win trophies]. But that indicates the caliber we've reached.”

In closing, the manager stated, “This is a standard that the Premier League has not witnessed in the past. And our aim is to achieve even higher goals. And if we do that, I think we are on the correct trajectory to winning.”