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As he approaches his six-year milestone at the helm, Mikel Arteta has admitted that his longevity in North London is directly connected to winning major honors.

The Journey So Far: From Appointment to Present

Arteta took over on December 20th, 2019 and managed to steer the team to an cup win a short time later. But, that early success stands as his sole significant piece of silverware after taking over from Unai Emery.

“I can,” he stated when questioned about his future past 2027. “But it’s about today. And many things must occur in the near future as well to warrant that continuation.”

He will mark the six-year milestone with a fixture against Everton, the exact opponent Arsenal met the day after his role was made public.

The Current Landscape

With chasing Manchester City playing against West Ham earlier in the day, Arsenal risk losing top spot in the Premier League prior to their fixture. This potential shift even with Arteta managing a squad that has been plagued by over 100 injuries from the beginning of last season.

Arteta currently has 18 months to run on the extension he agreed to in 2024, however, he knows that success is required sooner rather than later.

Earning the Right

The manager expanded, emphasizing the ongoing need to validate his position. “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 address the media, how you go into the dressing room, the message you convey.”

Arteta continued, praising the strong backing from the board and owners, while singling out the squad's dedication as paramount. “At the end, the critical component are those players... During my tenure, I’ve seen just players with a standard of focus, willingness to improve and give their all to the team.”

Squad Setbacks

The team faces the weekend fixture managing yet another injury. Defender Ben White has been ruled out with a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for the coming weeks.

Evolved Priorities

Despite the injury crisis and the high-stakes environment, Arteta believes the club's “objectives and communication” are vastly different from when he began his reign.

He pointed to the squad's displays as proof they are close. “Examine the performances, all the historical marks we surpassed... We still haven’t managed to do that [win trophies]. But that tells you the standard we operate at.”

Arteta concluded, “It represents a quality that the Premier League has not seen before in the past. And our ambition is to achieve more lofty ambitions. And if we do that, I think we are on the right path to winning.”