Mikel Arteta concedes Arsenal are already dreaming of Champions League glory

Mikel Arteta has a bold ambition to get Arsenal back among European football’s heavyweights.

Incredibly, Arsenal have not got past the last 16 since 2010 when, ironically, they beat Porto to reach the quarter finals. That was as far as it went that season and the next seven years saw them qualify from the Group stage every time - but then fall at the first hurdle.

Former Arsenal captain Arteta, who had five years as a player during that time between 2011 and 2016, saw at close hand how the Gunners slipped from being contenders to also-rans. They were on the receiving end of batterings from Bayern Munich, heavy defeats to Lionel Messi’s Barcelona and even a humiliation to AC Milan in the San Siro as well as crashing out to Monaco.

‌Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was incredibly consistent at getting them into the Champions League and the financial rewards helped them pay the mortgage on the Emirates. But the harsh reality was that Arsenal just could not compete before eventually slipping out of the Champions League after the 2016/17 season and this campaign is their first time back in Europe’s top competition.

Arteta has led them back into the Champions League after turning them into unlikely title contenders last season. Now they want to prove they also belong among Europe’s elite.

Gunners boss Arteta said: “We have earned the right to be here. It’s been seven years since we’ve been at the top table for these kind off matches and 14 years since we were able to go to the next stage.

“That’s the challenge. We know what is ahead of us but we are very excited to face it and to go for it with full believe, that’s for sure. Someone called Messi was another obstacle as well and Bayern Munich that we faced. This competition is what