Mikel Arteta Aims for Back-to-Back Premier League Titles

Mikel Arteta has thrown down the gauntlet before a ball has even been kicked. Arsenal are champions again after 22 long years, and he is already talking about doing what no manager has ever done at this club: defend the Premier League title.

The message is blunt. Last season wasn’t the destination. It was the starting point.

Arteta targets back‑to‑back glory

Only three names sit in the Premier League’s back‑to‑back winners’ club: Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola. Arteta wants in.

"I’m very excited. We already have some dreams about the competition again with the Community Shield. It’s a new season, new expectations," he told talkSPORT. "We have the opportunity to do something we haven't done before at this football club, to win it back to back and that is the ambition.

"It’s not personal, it’s the collective ambition that we have and the ambition of the club. It's a beautiful challenge."

There is no sense of a manager basking in what he has just achieved. The tone is restless, almost impatient. Arsenal finally hunted down Manchester City last season; now he wants to prove it wasn’t a one‑off.

Life after Pep – a new landscape

The challenge will unfold in a league that suddenly feels different. Guardiola has walked away from Manchester City after a decade of dominance, leaving a vacuum on the touchline and a psychological shift across the division.

For Arteta, who spent years at his side as an assistant before taking over at Arsenal, that absence is personal as well as professional.

"It was different," Arteta admitted. "Obviously I know Enzo [Maresca] really well but obviously the relationship I built with Pep when we were with each other.

"The amount of headaches and sweats he has provided to me over the last six or seven years to try to catch their level. He’s been an absolute inspiration, he's left a mark on this league forever and he made all of us better."

The rivalry that defined Arsenal’s climb back to the summit has changed shape. The benchmark Guardiola set, though, still looms over anyone with serious title ambitions.

Big money spent, more moves to come?

Arsenal have not stood still. The £75 million signing of Bruno Guimaraes is a statement that the champions intend to strengthen from a position of power, not simply protect what they have.

Yet Arteta’s squad is still in motion. Leandro Trossard has gone, leaving a gap in the final third. Gabriel Martinelli’s long‑term future remains a talking point. The club has been linked with several attacking options, including Bradley Barcola, who has also been on Liverpool’s radar.

Arteta keeps his cards close to his chest, but the intent is clear.

"When we show ambition at the club it has to come from the very top and I think the ownership has been very supportive with everything we are doing at the club," he said.

"The motivation is always there to be better. If we can identify the talent to make us better then we have to do it but we have to focus on what we have in house to make sure they evolve, grow and be better."

That balance – between chasing new stars and backing the ones already in the building – will define how Arsenal look when the window closes.

Embracing the chaos

Arteta knows what he is walking into. A league that chewed up Guardiola’s challengers for years now looks even more volatile.

"You can see how crazy and unpredictable the league is," he warned. "It's better not to talk too much, be prepared, be open and hopefully we can wrap up the transfer window in a really positive way."

The title is back in North London. The target now is something even heavier: turning one season of triumph into an era.