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Ahead of marking his six-year milestone as manager, Mikel Arteta has stated plainly that his future at Arsenal is fundamentally dependent to delivering trophies.

A Look Back: From Appointment to Present

The Spanish coach took over on December 20th, 2019 and soon guided the team to an FA Cup triumph within months. But, that early success is still his lone major honor following the departure of Unai Emery.

“Yes,” he stated in response to a query about remaining in charge after his current deal. “Yet it's about today. And a lot of things need to fall into place in the near future as well to warrant that continuation.”

This weekend sees the anniversary with a fixture against Everton, the identical team Arsenal met the day after his role was made public.

The Current Landscape

Given that chasing Manchester City set to face West Ham earlier in the day, Arsenal could be displaced top spot in the Premier League prior to their fixture. This comes despite Arteta overseeing a squad that has suffered in excess of one hundred injury setbacks since the start of last season.

He is tied down by 18 months remaining on the extension he agreed to in 2024, but is acutely aware that results must come in the immediate future.

Survival in the Job

Arteta elaborated, 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’s how how you react, how you address the media, how you step into the dressing room, the message you convey.”

Arteta continued, praising the unwavering support from the board and owners, but pinpointing the team's buy-in as the key factor. “Ultimately, the key individuals are those players... For six years, I’ve seen just players with a level of attention, willingness to improve and give their all to the team.”

Injury Concerns

The squad heads into the weekend fixture dealing with yet another injury. Defender Ben White has been ruled out with a strain that is expected to keep him out for the coming weeks.

A Different Club

Even with the injury crisis and the immense scrutiny, Arteta feels the club's “focus and dialogue” are profoundly distinct from when he began his reign.

Arteta highlighted the record-breaking achievements as evidence of progress. “You look at the performances, all the records that we... were breaking... We still have yet to do that [win trophies]. But that tells you the level we are at.”

He finished by saying, “That is a level that the Premier League has not witnessed in the past. And our aim is to achieve greater objectives. And if we do that, I think we are on the right path to winning.”