Mikel Arteta has declared that Arsenal must now compete for the biggest titles in football after he was finally unveiled as the club’s new head coach.
“This is a huge honour,” Arteta told the club website. “Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game and that’s been made very clear to me in my discussions with Stan and Josh Kroenke, and the senior people from the club.
“We all know there is a lot of work to be done to achieve that but I am confident we’ll do it. I’m realistic enough to know it won’t happen overnight but the current squad has plenty of talent and there is a great pipeline of young players coming through from the academy.”
Raul Sanllehi, the club’s head of football, said Arteta “understands” the club and stood out among several top candidates.
Arsenal appointed Mikel Arteta as their new head coach on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Arteta leaves his role as Manchester City assistant manager and replaces Freddie Ljungberg, who took over as interim head coach following Unai Emery’s sacking at the end of last month.
Ljungberg oversaw two draws, two defeats and one victory during his time in temporary charge, and departs his role with Arsenal 10th in the Premier League table.
Arteta returns to the club where he iplayed 150 games between 2011 and 2016, winning two FA Cups and two Community Shields in the process. City and Pep Guardiola were intent on Arteta remaining at the Etihad Stadium, but the offer from the Gunners proved too enticing for their former midfielder to turn down.
The domestic treble winners were angered by Arsenal’s approach for the Spaniard after pictures emerged of Gunners chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and lawyer Huss Fahmy leaving his Manchester home in the early hours of Monday morning.
