Mikel Arteta Sends Stark Arsenal Warning After Premier League Title Win
· Yahoo Sports
Mikel Arteta has warned that anyone at Arsenal who thinks last season's Premier League title was enough should “go somewhere else”.
The Gunners finally ended their 22-year wait for the trophy in May after finishing runners-up in each of the previous three seasons. It was Arteta's first league title as a manager and Arsenal's first since the Invincibles in 2003/04.
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Asked in his pre-match press conference how he would ensure success did not lead to a drop in standards, Arteta made his case clear.
“That's easy. I think the message was clear from day one. So if you think differently, I don't think you have to be here. You have to go somewhere else.”
The Gunners have made significant changes since lift the trophy, with Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa, Piero Hincapie, Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier arriving during the summer, while a number of players who had been part of Arteta's squad for several years now gone.
Gabriel Martinelli completed his move to Al-Hilal on Thursday, becoming the latest senior player to leave Arsenal. Whilst Gabriel Jesus joined Barcelona on deadline day, with Fabio Vieira also completing a permanent move to Hamburg.
Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior, Christian Norgaard and Karl Hein had all departed earlier in the summer.
The club also fought for the signings of Vinicius Junior and then Julian Alvarez with little to show for it come the end of the window.
Arteta was asked about that separately during his press conference and said he would rather concentrate on the players now at his disposal.
His comments about last season also followed an interview given by Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick earlier in the week.
Arsenal CEO Richard Garlick Says Club Aim to 'Dominate Football' for YearsRichard Garlick has outlined Arsenal's ambitions beyond last season's title, including becoming serial champions and going further in Europe.Garlick used similar language when discussing what winning the Premier League had done to the club's ambitions.
“We're not done here. This is the start, not the end. We're at the start of something big. We want to push on and win more and more.”
Garlick also spoke about wanting Arsenal to become serial champions and eventually described the aim as the beginning of a possible “dynasty”.
Arteta did not go quite that far when the subject came up on Friday. His answer focused more on the attitude he expects from those inside the club.
Despite several moves over the summer, a lot of Arsenal’s core group remain, having experienced both the highs and lows of last year as well as the journey they’ve been on to lift the Premier League trophy.
Arsenal missed out to Manchester City after leading the table for much of 2022/23, then finished second again in the two campaigns that followed. Last season was the first time they managed to get over the line.
Arsenal have started the new season well. Beating last year’s Championship winners Coventry 3-0 in the Premier League opener, before a tough away win at Aston Villa to round off the second match week.
Chelsea come next for the Gunners,and it will be the first meeting of the season with another side expected to be involved near the top of the table.
Even after winning the title, there was still disappointment in Europe. Arsenal went all the way to the Champions League final before losing on penalties, while the FA Cup Arteta won in his first season remains his only other major trophy as manager. A clear reason why Arteta wants nobody to settle after last season’s title.