Seven years after returning to a shattered Arsenal, Mikel Arteta will lead his side to the Champions League final against Paris St. Germain on Saturday, one win after a remarkable rebuild.
By guiding Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2004 this season, the club’s long-term faith in him has already been rewarded after three consecutive second-place finishes.
Now he has the chance to go one step further and cap off what could be the best season in Arsenal’s history by lifting Europe’s biggest club prize for the first time.
“We have now raised other standards and now we have to go to the next level,” Arteta said this week.
READ | Arsenal crowned Premier League champions – How Arteta transformed Gunners into winners?
For a coach who was molded by Pep Guardiola during a three-year stint as Manchester City assistant, imitation was perhaps obvious. Many have tried – and failed – to reproduce his fellow Spaniard’s blueprint.
Arteta chose a different path.
Arsenal’s rise has not only been based on control, but also on pragmatism – a mix of zonal dominance, high pressing and defensive discipline, underpinned by a non-negotiable team ethic.
A team once mocked for its fragility has been transformed into one adept at winning ugly when necessary.
“You have to be ruthless and consistent… to create a winning mentality,” Arteta said shortly after arriving at Arsenal in 2019. “Without an identity you can’t plan and you can’t convince a player to do what you want.”
When Arteta returned to the club where he played as a midfielder, those foundations were missing due to the drift and discord that deeply marked the final years of Arsène Wenger’s reign.
“I’m very fortunate that we have an ownership model that ‘understood the picture was ugly,’” he told the podcast. Overlap.
“The best part was changing the culture… to deeply understand how people think about working in the organization, and I wasn’t happy… I wasn’t impressed at all.”
TEAM BONDING
The reset went beyond tactics. Arteta has redesigned the environment at the London Colney training ground, surrounding players with messages, mantras and symbols.
Unity and responsibility became daily expectations, while team bonding helped build a tightly connected group. He even introduced a pet black Labrador named ‘Win’ to the training ground, with players sharing the responsibility of walking her.
That ‘family’ environment now defines Arsenal as much as football. The attention to detail has translated directly onto the field. The appointment of coach Nicolas Jover in 2021 proved to be a turning point, turning marginal gains into a decisive weapon.
Arsenal have broken the record for goals from corners in the Premier League this season, with more than a third of their goals coming from set-pieces, and a string of close wins has underlined their evolution from near men to champions.
Former Everton manager David Moyes sees that shift clearly. “You’ve seen Mikel for a few years now, he’s got dark arts… because you desperately want your team to win,” Moyes said.
Arteta still points to the collective.
«It’s just a joy of a group… the togetherness, the unity, the love, the respect,» he said after Arsenal sealed their place in the final by beating Atletico Madrid.
The road has not been smooth. Early setbacks and near misses tested the project, but gradually Arsenal moved from contenders to champions, buoyed by what Arteta describes as the ‘energy, positivity and confidence’ around the club.
Now that belief faces the ultimate test against PSG – one of Europe’s most formidable sides and a club linked to Arteta’s own past. The Spaniard played for the French team early in his career.
“We have a great opportunity to create new history for our football club,” he said.
From reset to revival, Arteta has reshaped Arsenal in his own image: disciplined, resilient and driven by belief. Now the final step is within reach.
Published on May 28, 2026
