Mikel Arteta has insisted he needs to “earn the right” to extend his stay at Arsenal beyond the remaining 18 months on his contract. As he enters his sixth year in charge, speculation over his future has increased due to discussions regarding Josep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca’s respective terms at their clubs.
Asked if he envisaged staying beyond his current contract, he replied: “Yes, but that’s today and a lot has to happen in the coming months to earn that right. I think the manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow. That’s how you react here, how you talk here, how you come in the dressing room, the message you send, how well the players follow.”
“I’ve always said we need support and I’ve said it before. From the owners’ and board’s point of view, that’s great. At the end of the day, it’s the players that matter most.”
“When you open the door and confront them and talk to them, they look like this (mimics an eager look) or look like this (pretend to be asleep). And for six years, I’ve seen players who have a certain level of attentiveness and a desire to learn and give their best effort to the team.
“That’s what keeps me in this job. There’s nothing else. And obviously, winning a lot of football games. I think that’s pretty high in terms of percentages. That’s the only way. Otherwise you can’t survive in this environment.”
Arteta has once again backed struggling striker Viktor Gökeres, expressing confidence that the Swede will find his groove in north London. “Well, I think the level of attention towards him hasn’t changed since we signed him until today. That’s normal,” Arteta explained.
“Everyone was very excited to bring him to the club.
“We did that. We brought in a player with an unbelievable scoring record, but he had to adapt to the league. He didn’t have a preseason.
“The first few weeks were tough because he wasn’t in the best shape physically. He’s a player that needs that to perform at that level, just like any other player in this league. After that, he picked up. I think he had a really good time, but then he got hurt.”
“And now he’s back. We’ve seen a lot of positive things in his last two games. We know we need to understand him a little bit better in certain situations and continue to fine-tune him, and he needs to do the same, but the time has come. We support him fully.”
