Mikel Arteta is now into his third season at Arsenal and there are strong signs in the early stages of the 2022/23 campaign that the Spaniard is making progress at the North London club.
Thank you all for the warm welcome, I feel very honoured and happy to be back.
Now let’s get to work @arsenal pic.twitter.com/ybmGulCw5L— Mikel Arteta (@m8arteta) December 21, 2019
Arteta took over from Unai Emery in December 2019. The highlight of his rein so far was the Gunners’ FA Cup success in 2020. This season’s primary target for the Arsenal head coach and his players will be to perform much better in the Premier League.
The results and performances in the early stages of the season will be giving Arsenal fans optimism. The Gunners are 5/6 in the football betting to finish in the top four, something they have not done since 2016.
Arsenal are likely to be one of the leading football tips this season in the Premier League as they are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment. Arteta’s team have a clear style of play and those in his dressing room seem to enjoy playing for their manager.
Summer Signings Add Quality
This summer was an important transfer window for Arsenal. They were able to add some real quality to their squad. The most notable was the acquisition of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City.
The Brazil international scored 95 goals for City during his six-year spell with the club. He is a player who Arteta knows well, and ever since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the Gunners last January, signing a striker was a priority.
🥁 Introducing your POTM from last night’s win…
🏆 @GabrielJesus9 pic.twitter.com/UF9HR1GRMG
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 14, 2022
Jesus found the back of the net twice in his opening two games for Arsenal. He looks to be a player who can score a lot of goals in Arteta’s team. One of the reasons he chose to move to North London was for regular football and to feature in the number nine role. He could no longer get those guarantees at Manchester City.
Arteta also signed Jesus’ former City teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko during the summer transfer window. The Ukrainian is a player who can play in a number of positions, so he will give him manager lots of options.
Arteta Backed Over Aubameyang Row
Unlike some managers at other Premier League sides, Arteta has been given the full support of the club during his tenure so far. The most high-profile example of this was the row between Aubameyang and Arteta last season.
Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy of the team and suspended by the club due to disciplinary problems. The manager made it clear to Arsenal that the player had no future in his team under his watch.
Arsenal opted to come to an arrangement with Aubameyang to terminate his contract. He was then able to sign for Barcelona on a free transfer. This was a tough move for the club to make, as the Gabon player had scored 92 goals for the Gunners during his five years at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta was able to send a clear message to the dressing room that there were some non-negotiable expectations required from the players, and if they were not being met, then it would lead to them leaving the club.
This season feels like a pivotal one for Arteta. If the club continue to show improvements on the field, it could end as a very successful campaign for the Gunners.
