Arteta reveals when he knew he wanted Arsenal manager

Mikel Arteta has revealed that his desire to become Arsenal manager stemmed from a thrilling encounter between the Gunners and Manchester City, when he was still assistant manager at the Etihad.

Prior to Arteta’s arrival, Arsenal was enduring a dismal run, with their Champions League qualification hopes hanging by a thread, while his City team consistently dominated the summit of the Premier League.

In a pivotal encounter with Arsenal just before his appointment as manager, Arteta witnessed firsthand the issues plaguing the Emirates outfit and made a solemn pledge to aid the resurgence of his former club.

“This started three years ago. I was Pep’s assistant at City, we played against Arsenal and I saw that the soul of the club had been lost. You couldn’t enjoy it, you couldn’t feel it.

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“I knew that there was the option of, shortly after, being on the other bench and I knew that this club is so big that you had to connect the team with the fans. It has been hard to do and undo… and now I feel happy.

“We have a clear identity, there is union and we are full of energy. That’s the biggest. From top to bottom, they all push in the same direction. We give the fan something to dream about and be proud of. And now, you have to earn more.”

Arsenal’s decline had begun towards the end of the Arsene Wenger era at the Emirates and Arteta spoke of the need to go back to basics to revert the downward spiral.

“It was very clear. I drew a tree and its roots, and said that the problem was ours,” he explained.

“All that had to be cured, and cured with people who got involved. Without it, there would be no public entertainment.“