Mikel Arteta believes his biggest achievement since taking charge at Arsenal is repairing the rift with between the players and disgruntled Gunners’ fans.
The atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium had turned sour during the final months of Unai Emery’s reign - but Arteta is convinced the reaction to Tuesday’s draw at Chelsea shows his team is getting supporters back onside.
The flashpoint between Granit Xhaka and some fans when the midfielder was substituted against Crystal Palace summed up the mood in the weeks before the home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League triggered Emery’s departure.
However Arteta is now convinced bridges are being rebuilt in the month since he was put in place immediately before Christmas.
The Spaniard and his players head to Bournemouth for Monday’s FA Cup clash boosted by the 10-man fightback at Stamford Bridge.
And the manager points to the post-match celebrations after Hector Bellerin had rescued a point with a late equaliser as a sign of a growing unity.
Arteta said: “When I was asked about the things that we’ve done in this month, I think that one of the important things is creating that connection again with the fans.
“It’s a long time ago and these people have been here for a long time that we haven’t seen the fans react and support the team how they did against Chelsea.
“It was incredible and in some stages it was like we were playing at home.
“The amount of support they gave was incredible in difficult circumstances and I’m so proud that they’re feeling a little bit closer to the team now.”
