Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has disclosed a remarkable and risky maneuver he executed on his very first day at the club in 2019—a test of the backroom culture that he admits could have terminated his tenure before it truly began.
The Spaniard, who recently secured a contract extension at the Emirates Stadium following a Premier League title triumph, recounted the episode in an interview with The Athletic. He described how he deliberately wrecked an office at the training complex—scattering computers, laptops, and cables across the floor—before summoning the staff to witness the scene.
“I just destroyed the office and put everything on the floor — the computers, the laptops, the cables. Then bring everybody in,” Arteta explained.
“I said, ‘Listen, this is what I heard. I don’t know if it’s true. But from a lot of different people, the sentiment is that this is how they feel about working in the organisation. I’m here to help you enjoy your profession and your life and the passion that we all share. If you want me to help you to do that, you have two minutes to put this in order and at least to be ready to work together’. And I left.
“That could have been my managerial career because if that would have stayed the same way, I had no job anymore!”
Arteta returned two minutes later to find the office immaculate. The staff stood in silence, alert and ready to listen. He told them: “This is just the start. It’s something that we have to be in daily. Whatever we want to accomplish, we’re going to have to do it together. I cannot do it by myself. The issue that we have is much deeper than that, but the opportunity is infinite.”
The anecdote underscores the uncompromising standards Arteta installed from day one. Elsewhere in the interview, he elaborated on his philosophy of injecting unpredictability into the daily routine, ensuring the repetitive nature of elite sport remains engaging and challenging for everyone within his sphere.
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