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Ahead of marking his six-year milestone as manager, Mikel Arteta has admitted that his continued role with the club is fundamentally dependent to winning major honors.

A Look Back: From Appointment to Present

The Spanish coach assumed control on December 20th, 2019 and managed to steer the team to an FA Cup triumph within months. Yet, that initial silverware remains his lone significant piece of silverware following the departure of Unai Emery.

“Yes,” he stated in response to a query about staying beyond 2027. “Yet it's about today. And many things must occur in the coming months as well to earn the right.”

Saturday night brings the landmark with a match versus Everton, the very same club Arsenal played the day after his hiring was confirmed.

The Current Landscape

Given that trailing Manchester City taking on West Ham in an earlier kick-off, Arsenal face being knocked off first place in the Premier League prior to their fixture. This comes despite Arteta presiding over a squad that has endured more than a century of fitness issues since the start of last season.

He is under a contract with a year and a half left on the contract he inked in 2024, but is acutely aware that results must come in the immediate future.

The Manager's Mandate

The manager expanded, emphasizing the daily requirement to prove his worth. “I think a manager must deserve 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.”

Arteta continued, expressing gratitude for the consistent faith from the hierarchy, while singling out the squad's dedication as paramount. “In the final analysis, the most important ones are those players... For six years, I’ve seen just players with a standard of focus, desire to learn and give the maximum to the team.”

Latest Fitness Blow

The team faces the upcoming game managing a fresh setback. Defender Ben White has been sidelined with a strain that is likely to see him miss action for the coming weeks.

Evolved Priorities

Despite the availability issues and the intense pressure, Arteta feels the club's “priorities and messaging” are vastly different from when he initially took over.

Arteta highlighted the squad's displays as evidence of progress. “Consider the performances, all the club records that were shattered... We still haven’t managed to do that [win trophies]. But that tells you the caliber we've reached.”

Arteta concluded, “That is a level that the Premier League has not witnessed in the past. And our ambition is to achieve more lofty ambitions. And if we do that, I think we are on the proper course to winning.”