Mikel Arteta is pleased with the progress Arsenal have made during his tenure, despite the pain of missing out on the Premier League title, with the head coach saying the club had lost their “soul” before his arrival. The Gunners finished the season second to Manchester City after leading the table for 248 days before being overtaken by Pep Guardiola’s side. Arteta and Arsenal are working on improving the team next season, with the Spaniard distancing himself from the head coach’s role at Paris Saint-Germain, where he enjoyed a loan spell as a player. “To this day, it still hurts me deeply, not having won the Premier [League] after spending 10 months fighting with City,” Arteta told the Spanish paper Marca. “But that’s the sport. That said, what has been achieved with such a young team is worthwhile. That is clear to me too.” This was Arsenal’s third trophyless season in a row but clear strides have been made since Arteta left Manchester City to become head coach in 2019. “I was Pep’s assistant at City, we played against Arsenal and I saw that the soul of the club had been lost,” Arteta said. “There was no enjoyment, no feeling. I knew there was the option of, soon after, being in the other dugout and I knew that this club is so big that we had to connect the team with the fans. “It has been hard to do, and now I feel happy. We have a clear identity, there is union and we are full of energy. That’s the biggest thing. From top to bottom, they all push in the same direction.” Arsenal are working on a number of transfer deals, with Declan Rice and Kai Havertz key targets. He would not be drawn on the potential signing of the West Ham midfielder but said of the Chelsea forward: “Talent has a price and, at Arsenal, we are always interested in young players with experience. I repeat, I am not talking about players from other clubs, but, in the case of Kai, he has already shown a lot, including a Champions League. He is a talented, versatile player and he is only 24 years old.” Arteta spent 18 months at PSG and has been linked with replacing the departed Christophe Galtier this summer. “I can only say that I am happy at Arsenal,” Arteta said. “I feel loved, valued by our owners, Stan and Josh [Kroenke], and I have a lot to do here at this club. I am happy and tremendously grateful to be at Arsenal.” After Arsenal finished as runners-up, Arteta is aiming to go one better next season. “That is our ambition. We know the difficulty: it’s the best league in the world and next season is going to be the toughest league in Premier League history.”