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Ahead of marking his half-decade plus one year at the helm, Mikel Arteta has stated plainly that his future at Arsenal is inextricably linked to winning major honors.

A Look Back: The Arteta Era

The former Arsenal captain took over on the 20th of December in 2019 and managed to steer the team to an FA Cup victory within months. But, that initial silverware stands as his only top-tier trophy since succeeding Unai Emery.

“Absolutely,” the manager said when questioned about his future past 2027. “However, it is about today. And a lot of things must occur in the next few months as well to earn the right.”

Saturday night brings the landmark with a match versus Everton, the very same club Arsenal met immediately following his appointment was announced.

Present Challenges

Given that trailing Manchester City taking on West Ham in an earlier kick-off, Arsenal face being knocked off top spot in the Premier League before their own match begins. This comes even with Arteta overseeing a squad that has been plagued by over 100 injuries since the start of last season.

He is under a contract with 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, highlighting the ongoing need to justify his role. “I think a manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow. And that’s how how you react, how you talk here, how you go into the dressing room, the signal you send.”

Arteta continued, praising the consistent faith from the club's ownership, but pinpointing the players' commitment as paramount. “At the end, the most important ones are those players... Over this half-decade, I’ve seen just players with a standard of focus, hunger for knowledge and give their all to the team.”

Injury Concerns

The squad approaches the upcoming game dealing with yet another injury. Defender Ben White has been sidelined with a muscle problem that is likely to see him miss action for a few weeks.

Confidence in the Path

Despite the availability issues and the high-stakes environment, Arteta is confident the club's “objectives and communication” are vastly different from when he first arrived.

He pointed to the team's performances as evidence of progress. “Consider the performances, all the club records that were shattered... We still haven't been able to do that [win trophies]. But that tells you the caliber we've reached.”

Arteta concluded, “This is a standard that the Premier League has not seen before in the past. And we want to achieve even higher goals. And if we do that, I think we are on the proper course to winning.”