Mikel Arteta ‘fully convinced’ Arsenal will overcome odds to make Champions League history against PSG | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has declared he is "fully convinced" Arsenal will etch their name into history this weekend by securing their first Champions League title.

The Gunners are set to face formidable holders PSG in Budapest on Saturday evening, fresh from celebrating their first Premier League triumph since 2004.

Despite bookmakers positioning Arsenal as outsiders to claim their first European crown, Arteta exudes an unwavering confidence, believing an unbeatable spirit now courses through the team following their league victory.

"You could sense the energy, you can sense the positivity and the confidence on the players and everybody around the club," the Spaniard affirmed.

"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’s comments came during the League Managers Association’s annual awards dinner in central London on Tuesday, where he took a brief respite from preparations for the continental showpiece.

Arteta praised his coaching staff ahead of Saturday’s final (PA Wire)

The 44-year-old’s remarkable success with Arsenal, transforming them from perennial contenders into English champions, earned him the prestigious Premier League Manager of the Year award at the event.

Accepting the accolade, Arteta expressed his gratitude: "First of all, thank you so much for giving me this award. It’s an immense honour. You’re related to some of the great managers and all the colleagues that are in this room."

He reflected on the journey, adding, "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 extended his thanks to various individuals, including Arsenal’s decision-makers for their trust in him as a managerial novice in 2019, and Everton boss David Moyes for facilitating his entry into English football.

He reserved particular praise for his "instrumental" coaching team, with whom he posed for a photograph clutching his manager of the year trophy before returning to his preparations for 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 stated.

"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."