Mikel Arteta says there were two key reasons behind Arsenal’s title race collapse, the most critical being Gunners loss of its soul.

The Gunners led the Premier League for 248 days – more than any other side in history who did not end up lifting the trophy – to prompt widespread accusations of “bottling” the league. Then, they collapsed and lost title-deciding matches.

Arteta took a dig at the old regime – claiming he could see the club has become “soulless” while he was at Manchester City. He nearly guided the Gunners to the title last season, only for them to lose out to Pep Guardiola’s side in the final weeks of the campaign. Arsenal led the race throughout but City clinched the Premier League en route to their Treble by five points.

The runners up placing was still far exceeding pre-season targets of a top-four finish, but Arteta says the historic collapse “hurts me deeply”, echoing captain Martin Odegaard’s recent feelings on the matter. Many Arsenal critics pointed to dropped points to Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton as key to Arsenal’s failure, and Arteta agrees in part.

Arteta has been praised for turning the club around and Champions League football will be back at the Emirates for the first time in seven years next season. The 41-year-old previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant at Man City from 2016 to 2019 and he played for Arsenal from 2011 to 2016. He believes the club drifted away from its values before he took to the helm. Arsenal had gone through three managers in 18 months with Arsene Wenger quitting before Unai Emery was axed for interim Freddie Ljungberg. And the club was in turmoil after six league finishes outside the top four.

“To this day, it (surrendering title to Man City) still hurts me deeply not having won the Premier after spending 10 months fighting with City,” he says. “But that’s the sport. That said, what has been achieved with such a young team is worthwhile. That is clear to me too. Those three draws in a row penalised us, and all the misfortunes that happened. There were three or four injuries to important players and from there, everything got complicated.

During the interview admitted his side had ‘lost its soul’ before his arrival after sparking them back into life. Arsenal gave Manchester City a close run for the Premier League in a year that shocked many considering they were not seen as title challengers.

Nevertheless, there is huge optimism growing at the Emirates after a season that they can look back on with a lot of pride. Arteta has top, young and hungry players putting on some breathtaking football. And the Spaniard has revealed how he helped change the culture at Arsenal after arriving in 2019.

“When we had the full team, we were consistent. As soon as problems came, we couldn’t be consistent. And then our rival was the best team in the world; the best squad in the world; the best coach in the world… We had no choice but to accept it and shake hands with the champion.”

Arteta remains full of confidence that he can guide Arsenal to a first Premier League title in two decades, and thinks about it “many” times, but underlined the need for his squad to remain fit.

He continued: “When we started to have injuries, I felt that it was going to cost us. The level of demand could not be maintained. If you want to win the Premier against City, you have to get to April and May with all the players available and at their best. And, due to injuries, did not get that.”

He says, “To this day, it still hurts me deeply, not having won the Premier [League] after spending 10 months fighting with City. 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 started [over] three years ago. I was Pep’s assistant at City, we played against Arsenal and I saw that the soul of the club had been lost. It was not enjoyed; it was not felt. I knew that there was the option, shortly after, of being on the other bench and I knew that this club is so big that you had to connect the team with the fans.

Arteta is quoted by Marca as saying, “I was Pep’s assistant at City, we were playing Arsenal and I saw that the soul of the club had been lost. There was no enjoyment, no feeling. I knew there was the option of soon being in the other dugout and I knew we had to connect the team and the fans. It was very clear to me. I drew a tree and its roots, and I said that the problem was ours.”

The Gunners manager went on to say turning round the mentality of the team was a priority. To do achieve:

“We had to cure all that, and cure it with people who were involved. Without that, there would be no fun for the fans. Now I feel happy, we have a clear identity, there is unity and we are full of energy. That’s the greatest thing. From top to bottom, everyone is pushing in the same direction. We give the fans something to dream about and be proud of. And now, we have to win more.”

Arteta has been heavily influenced by Guardiola and despite battling it out for the title, they remain friends.

He said, “[Our relationship is] very good, three days ago I spoke to Pep. But we are both focused on winning and are very competitive. When we are in the ring, we are very focused. But we are confident enough for that to happen and the next day to call each other and give him a hug. That’s never going to go away.”

Arsenal will look to strengthen their squad and are keen on the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz. On potentially signing the German for £65 million from Chelsea, he said, “Kai has already shown a lot, including winning a Champions League. He is a talented, versatile player and only 24-years-old. Talent has a price and, at Arsenal, we are always interested in young players with experience.”

“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.”

However, the 41-year-old has insisted he is going nowhere and that he is happy at the Emirates.

“I can only say that I am happy at Arsenal,” he 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.”

That will come as a huge boost to the Gunners, who can look forward to next year with plenty of optimism.

• A Tell /Agencies report