Mikel Arteta has revealed how he transformed Arsenal's 'ugly' culture into a winning one, culminating in the club's first Premier League title in 22 years. The Gunners secured the championship last week after Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Bournemouth confirmed Arsenal's place at the summit.
Arteta, who took over in December 2019 when Arsenal were 10th in the table, described the six-and-a-half-year rebuild as arduous. Reflecting on the journey, he said changing the mindset was the most fulfilling part.
Speaking to The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, Arteta explained: 'When I came here on my first day, unfortunately that setup wasn't like Liverpool or Manchester City who had already won a lot. This was a completely different animal and we knew that. I am very lucky that we have an ownership model that has experience in sports and they understood the picture is ugly at the moment and we have a lot of work to do and everyone was on board with that.'
The Spaniard conducted a deep exercise to understand how employees felt about working at the club. 'I wasn't happy and I wasn't impressed at all about the way they described it. So I put my hands on that, and I needed a lot of support to change that. But I think that was the foundation that we used to build,' he added.
Arteta admitted the scale of cultural change was deeper than expected. 'I was expecting something to change, but not as deep or as profound. This wasn't about changing the identity of a team to play in a certain way or improve tactics. It was much deeper than that. I love the challenge and it was an incredible opportunity.'
The 44-year-old has made tough decisions, including the exit of then-captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 2021-22 season. Defending his principles, Arteta said: 'Is it harsh? To be fair, in our job it's very difficult. What is fair? Fair for you means that fair for another is not fair. But at least stick to your principles. You explain things and agree as a team that there are certain behaviours we expect and want to promote. If somebody doesn't do it, they cannot continue to be part of that.'
Arsenal owner and co-chair Josh Kroenke was among those supporting Arteta. Kroenke recalled a conversation with his father, Stan, after the 4-1 Europa League final defeat to Chelsea in 2019, which prompted a realisation that change was needed. 'In the summer of 2019, it kind of settled in me. I remember talking to my father saying we had to probably take a step back to eventually go forward. When we arrived to that December, it was a transition period. We could really see that the club was in a place where we needed to reinvent the culture.'
Kroenke added: 'When I sat with Mikel, he had all his football tactics, but the conversation I really recall was one about culture. To see where we are today is a testament to what Mikel and his staff have been able to do in the last six years on and off the pitch. If you're going to make sound decisions, you have to take the emotion out of it at times.'
