Arteta says he wrecked an office in front of Arsenal players on his first day

“I destroyed the office in front of the players”: Mikel Arteta has recounted the scene that marked his first day in charge of Arsenal, in December 2019. The Spanish coach says he wanted to jolt the club, before a restructuring that led Arsenal to its first Premier League title in 22 years.

Arteta said he had overturned computers, laptops and cables, then gathered the players to tell them what he had heard about the working environment. He was careful to add that he did not know whether those impressions were accurate. “I’m here to help you enjoy your job, your life and the passion we all share. If you want me to help with that, you have two minutes to tidy this place and be ready to work together,” he told them, before leaving the room.

When he returned two minutes later, he found the office perfectly tidy and the players silent, waiting for his instructions. Arteta then described the episode as the start of a long journey that required everyone to pull together.

The story comes as Arteta has signed a new three-year contract, valued at 80 million pounds, or about 104 million dollars. That works out to 20 million pounds, around 26 million dollars, per year, and extends his tenure at the head of the technical staff until 2030. His methods had previously drawn strong criticism while Arsenal struggled to compete; the Premier League title is presented as evidence of the project’s success.