Mikel Arteta’s importance to Arsenal hasn’t been lost on the club and they have now promoted the Spaniard to show his growing influence.
Arteta has been Arsenal’s manager for less than a year, yet the Spaniard has been a transformational leader at the club.
He has helped them to win two trophies despite taking over a team that was struggling so much that they could have ended the campaign in relegation trouble.
He is now preparing for his first full season at the club and he will look to achieve even more for them in the coming campaign.
After watching him achieve so much in such a short time, Arsenal has promoted him from the head coach to the first-team manager.
This promotion will show how important he has become at the club and it will give him greater power on matters like player recruitment and other decisions.
Speaking to Arsenal Digital, Vinai Venkatesham said: “Mikel’s been here since the end of December and the last nine months have probably been the most challenging nine months in Arsenal’s history – and we’ve been around for 134 years.
“Despite all of those challenges, Mikel has been driving this football club forward.
“He has lifted the spirits and lifted the energy here at London Colney and with Arsenal fans all across the world. He is doing an absolutely phenomenal job.
“The other thing that’s clear is that right from the day he walked through the door, he was doing much more than being our head coach.
“So we’re going to be changing his job title going forward. He’ll move from head coach to be the first-team manager.
“That’s recognition of what he’s been doing from the day he walked in the door, but also where we see his capabilities.”
