Arsenal: 6 reasons Arteta deserves huge credit this season

6. The Connection Between Club & Fans

"“One, I had to set the right culture in the club,” Arteta said after the 2-1 victory against Wolves on the changes he had to make at the club. “The second, is to establish that connection [club and fans]. “Without those two things, I don’t think you can do anything sustainable in time. I really enjoy it [doing the job].”"

The second of those points is key. We can praise the manager for the tactical work he’s done with the team as well as the shrewd nature of his signings, but just as important was reforging the bond between the supporters and the club.

Arsenal was fractured. The atmosphere around the club was toxic, and there was a growing disillusionment over what direction the club was heading in. Arteta can be fortunate fans were absent from stadiums for so long because they would have made their feelings well known last season.

But it’s changed this term. Considerably so.

Recruiting young players has given the fans a project to buy into, just as the respective characters of the signings are people it’s impossible not to adore: they have the charisma, passion and dedication that supporters cling onto and connect with. Supporter arguments now include who should be captain, not who shouldn’t be.

Of course, being back in grounds after the pandemic and reduced expectancy off the back of two eighth place finishes has played its part, but one can’t ignore the united front in and around the club. The Emirates hasn’t been like this in years – possibly ever – and Arteta’s role in rebuilding those bridges deserves extensive credit.

You can’t watch what is unfolding at Arsenal every week and not be excited by what is to come. As fans we don’t just feel it, we see it.