MIKEL ARTETA admits he must “earn” a new contract at Arsenal.
The Gunners lifted the FA Cup in 2020 during Arteta’s first season in charge.
But Arsenal have failed to win a major trophy since then and finished second in the Prem three seasons in a row.
Arteta, who celebrates six years in charge of the Gunners today, has just over 18 months left on his current deal.
And asked if he could imagine staying beyond that, Arteta said: “Yes, but it is about today.
“And a lot of things have to happen in the next few months, as well, to earn the right. The manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow.
“That is how you react, how you talk here, how you go in the dressing room, the message that you send, how much the players follow you.
“I always said that you need support, I said it before. From the ownership and the board, it’s great. At the end, the most important one is those players.
“You open that door, you confront them, you talk to them and they are like this [mimes being open-mouthed] or they are like this [mimes sleeping].
“And for six years, I have seen just players with a level of attention and desire to learn, and give the maximum to the team. That is what keeps me in this job. Nothing else.
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“And, obviously, winning a lot of football matches that, percentage wise, I think is quite high. That is the only way. If not, you cannot survive in this environment.”
Arteta has become the heartbeat of Arsenal since being placed in charge.
The Spaniard is across all matters at the club and there has been recent talk of expanding the Emirates.
But Arteta is giving his full focus to ending Arsenal’s wait for silverware.
He said: “There is a lot of talk obviously in the next two or three years in terms of infrastructure.
“But my focus – as this is dealt with in a great way at the club – my focus is performance and what we need to do to win big trophies, and that is the aim.”
