Mikel Arteta has reflected on his five years at Arsenal as he approaches his 250th game in charge of the club on Saturday.
The Catalan manager first arrived in north London in 2019 after a successful spell as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. Arteta he immediately had big boots to fill, taking over from legendary boss Arsene Wenger after his immense 22-year career with the Gunners came to an end.
Since his arrival, Arteta has brought clear success to the Emirates, winning the FA Cup in 2019/20 as well as two Community Shields. They have come close to lifting the Premier League trophy on numerous occasions, finishing just behind City both last season and the campaign before.
Arteta will lead his 250th game arsenal when they face Nottingham Forest on Saturday and has taken some time to look back on his time in north London.
“I’m very grateful,” he told reporters on Friday. “I’m very happy, and I’ve enjoyed every minute because of the people I work with every day and because I understand how lucky I am to be sitting where I am, and you always want more.
“I feel very proud to see the people who work in our organization and how they feel about the club right now, and what we convey as a football club and as a team. But it’s about winning and the end, I want more, I want big trophies and we are on this journey.”
When asked to detail what his greatest achievement has been over the past five years, Arteta ignored the silverware and looked to the wider impact of his reign.
“Getting the club together, 100%,” he continued. “To lift the spirit and give a very clear DNA to the football club and put it right to represent this club and this football shirt again, from the players to everyone who works at the club in the way that ‘wait at this level.’
Arsenal return to action on Saturday and will be keen to improve their results ahead of the November international break. The Gunners have failed to win their last four Premier League games, most recently registering a league win against Southampton in October.
