Photo: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has outlined his ambitions for the 2026/27 season, declaring the club must now demonstrate it can compete at the highest level after winning a historic title.
"We have achieved something that is so big, and now we have the ambition to go and attack the next target," Arteta wrote in programme notes ahead of Arsenal's pre-season fixture against Como at Emirates Stadium on August 12.
Arteta reflected on the club's victory parade through Islington as a defining moment. "That day is probably the best football experience that I have ever had. It's higher than any other trophy that I've won or moment that I've had," he wrote.
The Spaniard said the challenge now shifts from chasing success to defending and building on it. "We know what we have to do to win, and we know where the levels are. A lot of things went in a really difficult way for us last year, and we still managed to perform at a really high level."
Arteta pointed to the players' physical and mental condition at the start of pre-season as an encouraging sign. "The players returned to pre-season training in better shape than ever, and that tells you everything. The energy in their bodies, in their eyes, how they look – it was incredible to see."
The Arsenal manager also praised Como head coach Cesc Fabregas ahead of the friendly meeting. "He's done an amazing job there. It is a project that has become something extraordinary in Europe," Arteta said of his former Arsenal teammate.
Arteta stressed that supporter involvement remains central to the club's ambitions. "We have seen the impact of one and a half million people together – that is the biggest superpower that we have in this football club," he wrote.