Mikel Arteta is “fully convinced” Arsenal will make history this weekend by winning their first ever Champions League crown.
The Gunners take on swashbuckling holders Paris St Germain in Budapest on Saturday evening basking in the afterglow of their first Premier League triumph since 2004.
Arsenal are considered outsiders with the bookmakers to become European champions for the first time, but Arteta feels an unbeatable confidence coursing through their veins after winning the title.
“You could sense the energy, you can sense the positivity and the confidence on the players and everybody around the club,” the Spaniard said.
“We have an amazing opportunity to write new history in our football club, and we are convinced that we’re going to do it.
“We will fly to Budapest on Thursday fully convinced that in a few days’ time we can be champions of Europe.”
Arteta was speaking at the League Managers Association’s annual awards dinner in central London on Tuesday having taken an evening off from preparations for their shot at continental glory.
The 44-year-old’s success with Arsenal saw him named Premier League manager of the year at the event having turned the nearly men into English champions.
“First of all, thank you so much for giving me this award,” Arteta said. “It’s an immense honour. You’re related to some of the great managers and all the colleagues that are in this room.
“It’s been a fascinating journey for a few years. We’ve been knocking on the door, we’ve been trying, we fell short a few times, and to actually win it made it so special.
“You’ve seen the reaction from all the Arsenal supporters around the world and what it meant to all of us, so I’m extremely proud.”
Arteta thanked a variety of people upon collecting the award, from Arsenal’s decision-makers for trusting the managerial novice in 2019 to Everton boss David Moyes for bringing him to English football.
The 44-year-old had particularly praise for his “instrumental” coaching team, who he posed for a photograph with holding the manager of the year trophy before heading home to continue swotting up on PSG.
“You can’t do anything without the best people in the world around you, and I’m so privileged that I’ve got it in every department, but especially the people and that work with me every single day,” Arteta said.
“That is challenging. They work so many hours with me. I know the level of demands that I put on them every single today.
“But I cannot be more grateful to them, to their families, that they stick with them through a lot of days of work. To deliver that joy and that moment to all of them, it’s a really happy moment.
“They’ve been an inspiration, they’ve been extremely supportive with me. They made me enjoy this profession in a way that probably I could not imagine.”
