•Arsenal’s Spanish manager, Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta believes his transformation of Arsenal has put the Gunners in a position to win major trophies as he celebrates six years as manager.
Victory at Arteta’s former club, Everton, today will guarantee Arsenal are top of the Premier League at Christmas as they aim to win the title for the first time since 2003/04, reports AFP.
An FA Cup success early in the Spaniard’s reign is the only major trophy Arteta has delivered, but he has turned Arsenal back into Premier League title contenders and Champions League regulars.
They failed to finish in the Premier League’s top four for six consecutive years between 2017 and 2022 but have come second in each of the past three seasons.
“The transformation has been around the club in terms of the size, in terms of revenues, in terms of the squad that we built, the value of it, the sporting success that we had, even though we haven’t won any major trophies yet,” Arteta said yesterday.
“I think it’s very, very consistent, so we’re in the right place.”
Arsenal lead Manchester City by two points at the top of the table but the gap has narrowed in recent weeks, with draws at Sunderland and Chelsea followed by just a second defeat of the season at Aston Villa.
Arteta’s men face a demanding festive season, with six games between December 20 and January 8.
And the 43-year-old is clear on what he wants for Christmas.
“Win, win, win, win, win all the games,” he said.
“I’ll say the rest will come naturally, but my mood, my energy is going to be much better (if we win), so that’s what I want.”
