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Mikel Arteta: Spaniard 'proud' to be 'home' following unveiling as Arsenal head coach
Mikel Arteta is ready for the challenge after returning "home" to Arsenal as their new head coach.
The 37-year-old Spaniard, a former Gunners captain, has left his role as assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City to agree a three-and-a-half-year contract to succeed Unai Emery, who was sacked last month.
At his unveiling late on Friday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta said: "I feel back home. I am extremely happy and proud to have been given the honour of being manager of this football club.
"I have prepared for the challenge and am ready. If I didn't feel that, I would not be sitting in this chair.
"I have to engage the players, when I was here with Man City (for last Sunday's Premier League match) everyone was a bit down.
"We have to have the right culture here. If we don't then the tree will shake.
"After that we can talk about other things. We need an immediate impact and need to raise the level of the performances to start winning games and engage with the fans."
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'Ruthless, consistent and a winning mentality required'
Arteta cited his former boss, City manager Guardiola, as an influence as he set out what is required at Arsenal.
"What I have learned mostly is you have to be ruthless, consistent and fit the culture of the club to sustain a winning mentality," he said.
"Every act is important. Pep's work-rate is incredible. The staff have to be able to transmit it and when (the players) buy into that, you can be strong."
Arteta played more than 100 times for Arsenal - his final club before retiring. He joined City's coaching staff in 2016 and will now embark on his first managerial post at his old club.
Sunday's 3-0 defeat to City increased the need for the Gunners to end the uncertainty over the manager's position, leaving the club as close to the relegation zone as they are to the top four.
Interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg replaced Emery but won just one of his four league games at the helm, while the club are on a run of only one win from their last 12 fixtures.
When Arteta's old side City beat Arsenal at the weekend, the former Everton midfielder was in the dugout alongside Guardiola.
Talks started afterwards with Arsenal managing director Vinai Venkatesham pictured outside Arteta's house in the early hours of Monday morning.
Arteta revealed he came "very close" to the Arsenal job following Arsene Wenger's departure in 2018, but said it was not the right time for him to take it on.
The Spaniard added: "I want to do things my way by convincing them it is the right way for everybody to live better.
"Everybody has to be responsible and I do not want them hiding, I want people who deliver passion and energy.
"Anyone who does not buy into this, has a negative effect, is not good enough for this environment and culture."
Arteta accepted his inexperience could be a problem for some fans, but said: "I will give every drop of blood for this football club to make it better."
Welcome back to the @Arsenal family! 🙌🏼⚽️ @m8arteta #M1Ö #YaGunnersYa pic.twitter.com/xvXI72mkEE
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) December 20, 2019
He also insisted Mesut Ozil was still "a massive player for this football club".
Head of football Raul Sanllehi said the club had interviewed other names before opting to pursue Arteta.
"We met several top-class candidates and Mikel stood out to every single one of us as the perfect person for us," he said in a club statement.
"Mikel understands Arsenal Football Club and what it means to our fans around the world. We look forward to him getting down to work and bringing the best out of our squad as we work to get our season back on track."
The PA news agency understands negotiations regarding compensation between City and the Gunners saw proceedings extend into Friday before Arteta was eventually confirmed.
He will watch on from the stands on Saturday when Arsenal visit his old club Everton as Ljunbgerg once again takes the team.
It remains to be seen who will be appointed to Arteta's backroom staff and it is unclear if Ljungberg will drop back down to an assistant's role or leave the club.
Saturday's Premier League tips: Everton v Arsenal preview, prediction and best bets
Guardiola has Arteta backing
Pep Guardiola expects Mikel Arteta to "do an excellent job" as Arsenal's new manager.
"He decided to move there. You know when you have dreams," Guardiola said.
"You cannot stop it. Follow your dreams and Arsenal was a big part of his career as a football player and he's back at home.
"That's important to him and (Arsenal are) one of the best teams in England
"We wish him all the best. I'm pretty sure he will do an excellent job."
Nicholas supports Arteta appointment
Speaking to Sporting Life prior to the appointment, Arsenal legend Charlie Nicholas believes that the Gunners are making the right decision with Arteta.
"Arteta has had three-and-a-half seasons working under Pep Guardiola and he knows the fabric of Arsenal," he stated.
"They spoke to him before Unai Emery but they weren’t prepared to meet his demands.
"He is being offered one of the bets jobs in the world, and he stuck to his guns laid his cards on the table - I love a decision-maker.
"He is a leader, he has been Arsenal captain before, I like his authority and his passion."
Arsenal not fancied for success this season
Despite the appointment of a manager who has experience with the club, the North London side are not backed to earn a trophy this season.
Sky Bet make it 7/2 that they lift a trophy at the end of the current campaign - with the FA Cup or Europa League their most realistic option.
On the flip side, it's currently 50/1 that they win both of the above mentioned competitions, and to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League stands at an eye-watering 10,000/1.
Arsenal face Sky Bet Championship high fliers Leeds in the FA Cup which puts them at 12/1 to win at Wembley in May.
The Europa League round of 32 takes them to Greek giants Olympiakos - and Arteta's men are 8/1 to win Europe's second competition.
Arteta's in-tray
The PA news agency looks at some of the issues the Spaniard will have to deal with at Arsenal.
A case for the defence
One of Arsenal's weaknesses for over a decade has been their defence but long-serving manager Arsene Wenger and Emery failed to deal with the obvious flaws, which has seen the club fall from title challengers to struggling in their fight for a top-six finish in the Premier League. The recruitment of centre-backs Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz in recent seasons have only exacerbated the problem and Arteta needs to get a grip on the backline before he can start working on improving further up the field.
Style or substance?
Arsenal fans were spoilt during Wenger's 22-year reign when he brought silverware by playing attractive football. His style of play remained intact, which pleased the Gunners faithful, but the fanbase grew tired of a lacking title challenge towards the latter stages of his tenure. However, under Emery the attacking style faded as did the results, so the question for Arteta is does he want instant results - which the club desperately needs - or does he push for his brand of football which may prolong those results from happening?
Find a system and stick with it
Emery's demise at the Emirates was due to a lack of tactical stability throughout his stay. He constantly tinkered with different varieties of a back-four formation before changing to a three-man defence, only to swiftly revert back to his initial plan. Interim boss Freddie Ljungberg fell victim to this during his five-match spell in caretaker charge and it would be clearer to the players and fans if they stuck to one system which they can try to perfect, ideally with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette playing together in attack.
Instil a winning mentality
Under Guardiola, Arteta has been part of the coaching staff with two Premier League-winning teams which also included City's historic domestic clean sweep last season. The Spaniard won two FA Cups during his time as a player at Arsenal and could provide some leadership which has been desperately lacking for a long time at the Gunners, both on and off the field. Arsenal reached the Europa League final in May under Emery but fell to a crushing 4-1 defeat to Chelsea, extending Arsenal's trophy drought to three years. Arteta inherits a team which has won just once in their last 12 matches in all competitions.
Sort the Mesut Ozil conundrum
Everyone can see the ability that the former Germany international possesses but he has not shown that on a consistent basis, especially since signing his mega three-and-a-half year deal in January 2018. Wenger loved him but Emery used him sparingly, so Arteta will have a decision to make. The Spaniard will either have to build a team around his former team-mate, or get him off the wage bill to get in players that he wants. Ozil's meltdown during the 3-0 home defeat to City on December 15, when he kicked his gloves as he was substituted in the 59th minute - in front of Arteta in the opposition dugout - will not have gone unnoticed either.
Get full potential out of players
One positive during Emery's reign was the amount of academy players who broke into the first-team picture. The likes of Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and more recently Bukayo Saka have had valuable minutes over the last 12 months but none have secured regular starting positions. Brazilian youngster Gabriel Martinelli has also looked promising during his first season at the club and if Arteta can get a tune out of Lucas Torreira and Nicolas Pepe, Arsenal do have a squad capable of competing for trophies - provided he is given money to improve his options.
Saturday's Premier League tips: Everton v Arsenal preview, prediction and best bets
Odds correct at 1325 GMT (20/12/19)