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As he approaches his half-decade plus one year as manager, Mikel Arteta has admitted that his continued role with the club is inextricably linked to delivering trophies.

A Look Back: The Arteta Era

The Spanish coach was appointed on 20 December 2019 and soon guided the team to an FA Cup triumph a short time later. But, that early success is still his only top-tier trophy since succeeding Unai Emery.

“I can,” Arteta responded when questioned 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 warrant that continuation.”

This weekend sees the landmark with a fixture against Everton, the identical team Arsenal faced just after his role was made public.

The Current Landscape

As second-placed Manchester City taking on West Ham in an earlier kick-off, Arsenal face being knocked off top spot in the Premier League for the first time. This comes even with Arteta overseeing a squad that has been plagued by more than a century of fitness issues from the beginning of last season.

Arteta currently has 18 months to run on the contract he inked in 2024, however, he knows that results must come in the immediate future.

Survival in the Job

The manager expanded, highlighting the ongoing need to validate his position. “I think a manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow. And that is determined by how you react, how you address the media, how you step into the dressing room, the signal you send.”

He added, commending the unwavering support from the board and owners, but pinpointing the team's buy-in as the key factor. “At the end, the critical component are those players... During my tenure, I’ve seen just players with a degree of commitment, desire to learn and dedicate themselves to the team.”

Squad Setbacks

The team faces the weekend fixture dealing with yet another injury. Defender Ben White has been sidelined with a strain that is expected to sideline him for a few weeks.

Confidence in the Path

Even with the availability issues and the immense scrutiny, Arteta is confident the club's “objectives and communication” are completely changed from when he initially took over.

Arteta highlighted 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 indicates the level we are at.”

He finished by saying, “It represents a quality that the Premier League has not witnessed in the past. And we want to achieve more lofty ambitions. And if we do that, I think we are on the correct trajectory to winning.”