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As he approaches his sixth anniversary as manager, Mikel Arteta has admitted that his future at Arsenal is directly connected to winning major honors.

A Look Back: Six Years in Charge

Arteta was appointed on 20 December 2019 and promptly led the team to an FA Cup victory not long after. Yet, that early success remains his sole significant piece of silverware since succeeding Unai Emery.

“Yes,” Arteta responded in response to a query about his future past 2027. “Yet it's about today. And numerous factors must occur in the near future as well to earn the right.”

This weekend sees the six-year milestone with a match versus Everton, the identical team Arsenal met the day after his appointment was announced.

Present Challenges

As chasing Manchester City playing against West Ham in an earlier kick-off, Arsenal face being knocked off the summit in the Premier League prior to their fixture. This potential shift notwithstanding Arteta managing a squad that has been plagued by over 100 injuries from the beginning of last season.

Arteta is tied down by 18 months remaining on the contract he inked in 2024, yet understands fully that results must come promptly.

The Manager's Mandate

Arteta elaborated, highlighting the ongoing need to validate his position. “My belief is that a manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow. And that depends on how you react, how you address the media, how you enter the dressing room, the message you convey.”

Arteta continued, commending the strong backing from the hierarchy, yet identifying the players' commitment as the key factor. “At the end, the critical component are those players... For six years, I’ve seen just players with a level of attention, desire to learn and give the maximum to the team.”

Squad Setbacks

The team faces the weekend fixture coping with an additional absence. Defender Ben White has been declared unavailable with a hamstring injury that is expected to see him miss action for a few weeks.

Confidence in the Path

Even with the injury crisis and the intense pressure, Arteta feels the club's “objectives and communication” are vastly different from when he initially took over.

He pointed to 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 shows the standard we operate at.”

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 more lofty ambitions. And if we do that, I think we are on the proper course to winning.”