Mikel Arteta: My ambition is to take Arsenal to the next level

Mikel Arteta remains confident he can get Arsenal back challenging the top teams regardless of where they finish this season, but insists he has not given up hope of securing Champions League football.

Consecutive defeats to Tottenham and Newcastle have left the Gunners requiring a large helping hand from already-relegated Norwich on the last day to give them any chance of claiming a top-four finish.

A point for Spurs at Carrow Road on Sunday would secure them a place in the Champions League, but if they were to lose and Arsenal could beat Everton, it would be Arteta’s side who would trump their north London rivals.

It remains unlikely but after back-to-back eighth-place finishes, the Spaniard feels this season represents clear progress for his young squad.

“It has been a long journey and a very challenging one this season but I think we have come a long way as a club. As a team I think we have transformed the energy, vibe and expectation of this club again and we have done it together,” Arteta said.

“I have hope and expectation to move this club to the place it deserves. We have done it the way we predicted with the project we set a year ago, with a lot of young players, with senior players and with our crowd in our stadium with a real sense of connection around the place.

“We are back in Europe, we don’t know where and it will be decided (on Sunday). Hopefully it will be Champions League because I believe we will do what we have to do and we will be cheering for Norwich to do what they can do.

“After that we will take the club to the next level and that is the ambition. In order to do that we have to have a very clear plan again about how we want to do it and execute it.

“It is no secret we need resources and we need