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Ahead of marking his six-year milestone in charge, Mikel Arteta has made it clear that his longevity in North London is fundamentally dependent to achieving success.

A Look Back: Six Years in Charge

The former Arsenal captain was appointed on December 20th, 2019 and promptly led the team to an FA Cup triumph a short time later. Yet, that early success remains his sole significant piece of silverware following the departure of Unai Emery.

“Yes,” Arteta responded when questioned about staying beyond 2027. “However, it is about today. And many things have to happen in the near future as well to deserve that opportunity.”

He will mark the anniversary with a game facing Everton, the very same club Arsenal played just after his appointment was announced.

Present Challenges

As second-placed Manchester City taking on West Ham on Saturday afternoon, Arsenal risk losing first place in the Premier League before their own match begins. This potential shift even with Arteta overseeing a squad that has endured in excess of one hundred injury setbacks since the start of last season.

Arteta currently has a year and a half left on the contract he inked in 2024, however, he knows that success is required promptly.

Earning the Right

The manager expanded, emphasizing the daily requirement to prove his worth. “In my view a manager must deserve the right to be here tomorrow. And that’s how how you react, how you communicate, how you enter the dressing room, the message you convey.”

He stated further, praising the consistent faith from the club's ownership, but pinpointing the players' commitment as paramount. “Ultimately, the critical component are those players... Over this half-decade, I’ve seen just players with a level of attention, desire to learn and give their all to the team.”

Squad Setbacks

The team faces the weekend fixture managing a fresh setback. Defender Ben White has been declared unavailable with a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for several weeks.

A Different Club

Regardless of the injury crisis and the immense scrutiny, Arteta believes the club's “focus and dialogue” are vastly different from when he first arrived.

He pointed to the team's performances as evidence of progress. “You look at the performances, all the club records that were shattered... We still haven’t managed to do that [win trophies]. But that shows the level we are at.”

He finished by saying, “This is a standard that the Premier League has not seen before 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.”