Mikel Arteta has signed a new three-year contract with Arsenal, committing his future to the club until 2030. The 44-year-old, who has already delivered Arsenal's first Premier League title in 22 years and reached the Champions League final last season, says he is determined to lead the club to a period of sustained success and insists he will improve as a manager.
Arteta's ambition for Arsenal
Arteta said the level of enthusiasm, passion and energy is higher than ever. "We know what the level is right now, we know where the standards land, we know what the expectations are," he said. "But the good thing is the level of enthusiasm, passion and energy is even higher, and that's what we want to accomplish all together, and that's the opportunity ahead of us."
He added: "This is how we have to live this job. And as I said, I think what you have to do is enjoy the journey. I think it's the most important thing and probably the biggest lesson that I've had over the last seven years. The biggest gift that I've had throughout this period has been the people that are around me, that have been around me to make me feel loved and allow me to enjoy what I do."
Improvement and evolution
Asked whether he is still improving, Arteta said: "A lot. I know that because that's generally what I want to do but I know that the people around me are going to help me evolve as well. Starting from the ownership to everyone that I have around me because we have created people with a drive who constantly think about how we get better and make sure we maintain because we need to stay on top as well."
Leeds clash and team news
Arsenal face Leeds on Saturday looking to bounce back from their defeat at Brighton. Christos Tzolis is definitely out, Kai Havertz is a major doubt and looks set to miss out, while Ezri Konsa is likely to be fit. Max Dowman is fit after a knock on England under-19s duty.
Arteta said the pain of the Brighton defeat is still present. "The pain is still in the tummy and tomorrow we certainly have to play with that because it was a lesson for us," he said. "It was a lot to learn from that game, especially when you don't hit certain basics in a football match, especially against a really good Brighton side. You become almost not recognisable and it can happen. But it's been more about learning from who we are and how thin the line is from being exceptional to becoming very average, and that's a reality."
He added: "But as well, just realising with the difficult context that we had with all the internationals that we had, what we've done in the first 18 weeks, I think it's been remarkable. But, a big attention, because things change very quickly."
