Mikel Arteta is using a winning mentality to lead Arsenal’s unlikely title charge.
Gunners boss Arteta pulled off a masterstroke last summer when he signed Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City for a combined £75million.
They could become the first players since N’Golo Kante - who went from Leicester ’s success in 2016 to Chelsea ’s the following year - to win back-to-back Premier League titles with different clubs, having won the prize with City last season.
Arteta knew both players from his time as Pep Guardiola’s No.2 at the Etihad Stadium and rated them as players but also characters and strong influences on the squad.
Brazil striker Jesus, who is in the middle of a lengthy lay-off with a knee injury, has brought quality, goals and raised the bar in the dressing room. Zinchenko has also been instrumental this season and their roles, know-how and mentality have been absolutely crucial for Arsenal, who boast the youngest squad in the Premier League.
Arsenal are chasing their first title in 19 years. Their aim at the start of the season was to get themselves back into the Champions League places, but they have exceeded expectations from day one.
They have great quality in the squad with the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka but, despite many of them winning trophies during their careers, they did not have the title-winning experience of players at City or Liverpool.
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That could have counted against them this season, but Arteta addressed the issue by bringing in proven winners in the shape of Jesus and Zinchenko, and now no one can say they do not know what it takes to win a title.
Jesus looked a class apart until his injury while Zinchenko has also played an equally - if sometimes unsung - important role. Arteta has a similar footballing philosophy to Guardiola in the way that he sets up his team, with his full-backs being hugely important.
Benjamin White has excelled at right back but is hardly a conventional in the position because, at times, his role resembles more of a centre-back as he tucks in. There has been even more responsibility on Zinchenko as an inverted full-back who will often move into midfield and leave Arsenal with three at the back.
There is a revealing still picture from Sunday’s North London Derby at Tottenham when the two teams were grouped together in the centre circle waiting for play to resume after a stoppage, and there was Zinchenko taking instructions from Arteta.
Arsenal were in the market for Lisandro Martinez in the summer before he went from Ajax to Manchester United as he could play a similar role, but Zinchenko was always on their list and the deal has reaped rich rewards.
That was another prime example of Arsenal’s recruitment staff - led by then-technical director Edu - having a list of transfer targets. They refuse to be drawn into bidding wars because if they cannot get one, then they move onto the next.
Arsenal were in for Shakhtar Donetsk's Ukraine star Mykhaylo Mudryk last summer and could not get him then before missing out to Chelsea this time, but they had a valuation and never shifted from that.
They have their next man in line but will not be panicked into rushed signings, which perhaps happened in the past. Now, they only want players who will improve their squad and will not be bullied.
Arteta also has a tight-knit, trusted group of players. At the heart of that is Xhaka, who is the player the team really cannot do without for his leadership qualities, the tone he sets on the pitch and his partnership with Thomas Partey.
They have formed the best midfield axis in the Premier League this season. Arsenal have a long-term and quite well-publicised interest in West Ham ’s Declan Rice for this summer and the England midfielder could be on the market for £75m.
That is regarded as succession planning, they want replacements lined up, they will have to bide their time and could face competition from Chelsea and Manchester United. However, Arsenal now have a clear path, a clear plan and a manager who knows how to build a team and a squad with a winning mentality to carry them all the way.
