The Arsenal manager made clear how he hopes to hold up the standards of the side.
Mikel Arteta aspires to keep ‘incredible connection’ at the club
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with Senior Physical Performance Coach José Jiménez Iglesias during a training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on August 11, 2026 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta addressed how he hopes to see Arsenal take the next step in their development.
Three successive seasons of second place finishes in the Premier League left fans of the team worried when the Gunners hit a rut at the start of April. But the players pulled themselves together to finally earn the first league title of the Emirates Stadium era and a first Champions League final appearance, pushing reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain all the way to a penalty shootout.
‘We have the responsibility to push on and look forward’
Their first opportunity at silverware comes against Manchester City in the Community Shield this weekend, and a clash with Como on Wednesday evening is the final piece of on-field preparation.
Before the game, Arteta shared his thoughts on the process that must be conducted behind the scenes.
"I’m sure the whole place is going to have a renewed energy, because we are different now. We have achieved something that is so big, and now we have the ambition to go and attack the next target. Let’s all create that energy and the spirit together right from the beginning.
“When I say we are different now, I mean that as a team and as a club, we have dealt with a lot of things. We have dealt with being very close in the past and not doing it, and now we have to deal with winning.
“We know what we have to do to win and where the levels are. A lot of things went in a really difficult way for us last year, and we still managed to perform at a really high level. So, we are there and now we have to prove that we belong there and even higher. That requires something entirely different.
“I feel refreshed and ready to go again after the summer – my energy is back to the highest level. We went into the summer after our victory parade in Islington, and I have to say that day is probably the best football experience that I have ever had. It’s higher than any other trophy that I've won or moment that I've had, because it tells a story of the evolution of a club that was in a difficult position at many levels and was lacking a connection between the club, the supporters, the purpose, the identity and what we actually wanted to achieve.
“To see an unbelievable social gathering that was related to just how we all feel about this football club, about the people that run this football club, about the players that we have in this football club and especially about how the supporters feel about the club – it’s a day that I will never forget in my life. It wasn’t just north London.
“I saw the pictures from around the world and to actually feel that energy, that joy and that connection in those cities – it was incredible. When you think that a decision that you make in an office here can translate to such an emotion somewhere so far from our place, it's just incredible. It brings so much joy and power to what we do, but at the same time a lot of responsibility.
“And now we have the responsibility to push on and look forward. This has to be the start and this has to be the standard. Excellence has to be our standard and this has to drive the future. We have to behave daily with more and more determination and ambition because we've shown that we've got it. Now we have to take this football club to a different dimension. The players returned to pre-season training in better shape than ever, and that tells you everything.
“The energy in their bodies, in their eyes, how they look - it was incredible to see. That tells you the direction that we want to seek and the culture that we have set. Then the way they are training, the questions that they ask you, the direction that they want to take. They are all super powerful signs.
“Our pre-season schedule is always very important and we have tried to find different kinds of teams with different propositions, with different contexts. Our target at this time is to go daily, making our identity stronger and stronger. We are starting to evolve certain things that we need to improve, without losing what is giving us success. Then we need to have the capacity to adapt and evolve in relation to the new players and the new relationships that are going to be built and emerge.
“This time of season is also important to keep building that incredible connection we have across the club with our people right now, and the fact that everybody feels they are contributing to increasing the winning probability. Everything has an impact, your body language, your energy in the stadium and the way you communicate with the person next to you.
“We have seen the impact of one and a half million people together - that is the biggest superpower that we have in this football club. It is how attached we feel to it, the identity that we have created and how we feel about each other. That has to be translated every opportunity we have to be together.”
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal stand over a free-kick during the during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal FC and Borussia Dortmund at Emirates Stadium on August 09, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal stand over a free-kick during the during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal FC and Borussia Dortmund at Emirates Stadium on August 09, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
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Bruno Guimaraes signs for Arsenal alongside Manager Mikel Arteta and Arsenal Sporting Director Andrea Berta at Sobha Realty Training Centre on August 08, 2026 in London Colney, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Bruno Guimaraes signs for Arsenal alongside Manager Mikel Arteta and Arsenal Sporting Director Andrea Berta at Sobha Realty Training Centre on August 08, 2026 in London Colney, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)