Arsenal had "lost its soul," according to Mikel Arteta, before he converted them into title challengers

Mikel Arteta said that when he took over as manager, Arsenal had "lost its soul," but he has since expressed his delight at having brought the club back to its roots.

After taking the lead in an unexpected championship fight, Arteta's team forced Manchester City into the last few weeks of the 2022–23 Premier League season.

Following a dismal stretch of form in the last weeks of the season, the Gunners came up painfully short, but Arteta has received high accolades for his development.

With the Gunners finishing in second place and qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in seven years, the Spaniard has been credited with turning around the team's fortunes.

The former Arsenal midfielder said that while working as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Man City, he had picked up on important problems at the team.

'I was Pep's assistant at City, we were playing Arsenal and I saw that the soul of the club had been lost,' Arteta said. 'There was no enjoyment, no feeling.

'I knew there was the option of of soon being in the other dugout and I knew we had to connect the team and the fans.

'It was very clear to me. I drew a tree and its roots, and I said that the problem was ours.

'We had to cure all that, and cure it with people who were involved. Without that, there would be no fun for the fans.'

Arteta, 41, emphasized the necessity to restore the bond between the squad and its fans, claiming that the organization had lost its essence when he took over as manager in 2019.

He added: 'Now I feel happy, we have a clear identity, there is unity and we are full of energy.

'That's the greatest thing. From top to bottom, everyone is pushing in the same direction. We give the fan something to dream about and be proud of. And now, we have to win more.'