‘Poison in My Veins’: UCL Agony Is Fuelling Arteta’s Arsenal Era

Just days after signing a bumper contract extension, keeping him at the Emirates until 2030, Mikel Arteta spoke candidly in an exclusive interview with The Athletic, opening up about the lingering pain of May's UEFA Champions League penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest. 

Arteta secured Arsenal their first Premier League title in 22 years last season, finally breaking the streak of three successive second-place finishes and turning those famous Premier League ribbons red and white once again. Since the Spaniard's arrival in 2019, he has overseen an incredible amount of change, turning Arsenal from a fractured and complacent group into one of the best club sides in world football. 

Speaking to The Athletic, Arteta revealed for the first time one of the drastic measures he took on his first day, to stamp his authority and immediately get his message across to the team.

"I just destroyed the office and put everything on the floor — the computers, the laptops, the cables," Arteta admitted. "I’m here to help you enjoy your profession and your life and the passion that we all share. If you want me to help you to do that, you have two minutes to put this in order and at least to be ready to work together."

Arteta said he returned to the room two minutes later. "It was immaculate," the Arsenal manager praised. "Everyone was silent and had their eyes open and they were ready to listen. I said, "This is just the start. It’s something that we have to be in daily".

This gamble could have easily have backfired, Arteta joked, saying, "That could have been my managerial career because if that would have stayed the same way, I had no job anymore!"

Arteta's hard work and commitment since day one have created a huge upturn in Arsenal's performances and fortunes, with his work being rightfully rewarded as he signed a four-year contract extension at the club. Arteta now becomes the highest-paid manager in the league,  earning more than £20million a year according to The Times.

Despite ending a 22-year wait to become English champions in May, the season was tinged with sadness and the dreaded question of what if, as Arsenal suffered a painful defeat on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. 

"I still carry the mark of that defeat, as Arsène [Wenger] says," he said. "That poison is still running through my veins. It must stay there because it is how you learn, and it may be a great motivation for me and for everyone".

The Arsenal manager still remained adamant that job is not done yet, and every aspect of the future for both him and the club excite him. "Globally, with our supporters? Great," he said.

"How are we going to build the next three squads? Great. How the rules of the game are going to change us, and how we’re going to stay ahead of that to take advantage? Great. But this is going to happen if every single day we look after what we built. We make it a little bit better, like software that is upgrading and upgrading. When can it stop is infinite."

Arsenal return from the three-week international break with a lunchtime kick-off against Leeds United on Saturday. They'll be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brighton last time out, and build some momentum ahead of a busy few weeks.