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Ahead of marking his sixth anniversary in charge, Mikel Arteta has admitted that his future at Arsenal is fundamentally dependent to winning major honors.

A Look Back: Six Years in Charge

The former Arsenal captain took over on December 20th, 2019 and soon guided the team to an FA Cup triumph within months. However, that initial silverware stands as his only major honor since succeeding Unai Emery.

“I can,” he stated when questioned about staying beyond 2027. “However, it is about today. And numerous factors must occur in the near future as well to deserve that opportunity.”

This weekend sees the landmark with a match versus Everton, the exact opponent Arsenal faced the day after his appointment was announced.

The Current Landscape

As second-placed Manchester City set to face West Ham earlier in the day, Arsenal could be displaced the summit in the Premier League prior to their fixture. This potential shift even with Arteta presiding over a squad that has endured more than a century of fitness issues over the course of last season.

Arteta is under a contract with a year and a half left on the extension he agreed to in 2024, but is acutely aware that he must deliver in the immediate future.

The Manager's Mandate

He went on to explain, highlighting the ongoing need to prove his worth. “My belief is that a manager needs to warrant the right to be here tomorrow. And that is determined by how you react, how you address the media, how you enter the dressing room, the signal you send.”

Arteta continued, praising the unwavering support from the club's ownership, while singling out the players' commitment as the key factor. “Ultimately, the most important ones are those players... Over this half-decade, I’ve seen just players with a level of attention, willingness to improve and give their all to the team.”

Injury Concerns

Arsenal faces the Everton match coping with yet another injury. Defender Ben White has been sidelined with a strain that is expected to see him miss action for several weeks.

Confidence in the Path

Regardless of the injury crisis and the intense pressure, Arteta feels the club's “priorities and messaging” are profoundly distinct from when he began his reign.

The manager referenced the record-breaking achievements as evidence of progress. “Consider the performances, all the records that we... were breaking... We still haven’t managed to do that [win trophies]. But that tells you the level we are at.”

He finished by saying, “It represents a quality that the Premier League has never experienced 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.”