Mikel Arteta marks his fifth year at the helm of Arsenal on Friday, and star player Bukayo Saka has expressed his eagerness to shift gears from finishing second to clinching titles this season. When Arteta took charge in December 2019, he pledged a no-nonsense approach, stating he'd be "ruthless" with any player lacking in passion or dedication.
Fast forward to now, Saka is the sole survivor from Arteta's inaugural lineup against Bournemouth remaining on board. At 42, Arteta stands as the Premier League's third longest-serving manager, with his signings costing upwards of half a billion pounds.
However, since their 2020 FA Cup triumph led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's double, Arsenal hasn't secured any silverware, nor have they topped the league since the 'Invincibles' era in 2004. Despite setting club records for wins (28) and goals (91) over the past two seasons, Arsenal played second fiddle to Manchester City in the Premier League race.
Saka, still smarting from the sting of previous near-misses, admitted: "It's horrible man, I'll be honest. Finishing runners-up in two European finals for England and runners-up twice in the Premier League with Arsenal. It is that extra fuel for me, that extra motivation for me. I definitely want to get it over the line this season and try and lift a trophy for sure."
His determination comes as Arsenal remains competitive across four fronts this term - including the coveted Champions League - while perennial champions Man City are seemingly lagging behind in the Premier League skirmish.
"We are not scared to say we want to win," Saka confidently declared to the BBC. "We feel we are ready to compete for a trophy. This season we really want to take the next step and win something."
Arsenal once led the Premier League table by eight points in April 2023 but ended up trailing Manchester City by five points. Currently, after 16 matches, Arsenal’s collection of 30 points falls short by 10 compared to the same checkpoint last season, and six points less than their previous tally.
The team’s shaky first half against Crystal Palace underscored a worrying reliance on stars Saka and captain Martin Odegaard. Preceding Gabriel Jesus' stunning hat-trick, there was an over-reliance on set pieces for goals, while Arteta is praised and critiqued for his shrewd "dark arts" with tactical decisions and media interactions.
But it’s undeniable that under Arteta, formerly Pep Guardiola's right-hand man at City, there's been a cultural overhaul at a club that appeared rudderless post-Wenger’s 2018 exit. Arsenal now boasts a youthful squad fully invested in Arteta’s vision.
Ex-Real Madrid ace Odegaard recalled: "I came here on loan and we were struggling a bit with a lot of noise around the club and we didn't perform as well as a club like Arsenal should, but I believed so much in the project after speaking to him and seeing everything that was going on around here.
"Everyone around the team is really confident and you get that confidence from what you see here every day. He just gets everyone to work together and in the same direction, it's unbelievable."
Arteta, who penned a new three-year deal in September, has retained the full backing of his club despite Edu's exit, thanks to his hands-on approach.
Mikel Merino praised Arteta's daily engagement: "Mikel is a coach who speaks with players every single day, there's not a single detail in training sessions that he doesn't take a look at."
Meanwhile, Myles Lewis-Skelly, an 18 year old academy product, now breaking into the first team alongside Ethan Nwaneri, lauded the environment Arteta has fostered: "It's incredible, the team he has built with the coaches," the young England defender observed. "You can just sense around the ground that the energy is always high, positive vibes."