Arsenal board's decision to honour mid-game Mikel Arteta demand shows club were right

Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Everton was in vain - but they've made significant strides since their defeat to the same team nearly four years ago.

The Gunners ended the campaign on a disappointing note, with their win at the Emirates Stadium not enough to secure the title as Manchester City clinched their fourth consecutive Premier League triumph with a 3-1 victory over West Ham.

Falling just short of toppling City for the second season in a row will be a bitter pill to swallow for everyone associated with the red side of north London. However, they're now in a position they could only have dreamed of amid Mikel Arteta's early struggles.

Back in December 2020, the Spaniard was only a year into his tenure and facing mounting pressure. A 2-1 loss away at Goodison Park left his team languishing in 15th place after a seven-game winless streak in the league.

During half-time of that match, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher was asked if Arteta should be shown the door. He responded by urging the Arsenal board to give him more time to turn things around, reports the Mirror.

"For [Arsenal] to get back to where they want to be, they will have to go through a lot of pain and they will do," the Liverpool legend said. "A couple of signings they made this season, Gabriel [Magalhaes], [Thomas] Partey, they could be a big part of Arsenal for years to come.

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"But they need a few more players in the January transfer window. If Arteta can get six or seven players in then he can be judged on the job that he's doing. The recruitment has been shocking, absolutely shocking the last few years for Arsenal."

Fast forward three-and-a-half years and Carragher's comments seem almost prophetic. In the short term, Arteta restored faith with a seven-game unbeaten run, going on to secure a second successive eighth-placed finish.

And in the long term, he's helped overhaul the squad alongside sporting director Edu, mixing youth with experience and reaping the rewards on the pitch. It's something Arteta clearly envisioned despite his early struggles.

"My only concern is to get the best out of the players, give the best possible service to the club and become better and better," he told reporters at the time. "I know, I repeat, in this profession, one day I will get the sack or leave, but I don't know when that is going to happen."