Pablo Mari is looking to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla by becoming the latest Spaniard to spend “a long time” at Arsenal.
The 26-year-old defender has only just arrived at Emirates Stadium on an initial loan agreement.
He told Arsenal Player: "There have been some wonderful Spanish players to play for Arsenal.
"Fabregas, Cazorla, Reyes… they’re all great Spanish players that have passed through this club.
"One of those legends that we have with us now is Mikel. He was a very important player for Arsenal and now this is a new project for him as coach, but I think he’s going to repeat what he achieved when he was a player.
"Personally I look up to him and the career he had at Arsenal. That’s what I’ve been working for all these years.
"I’d love to be at Arsenal for a long time and I hope to give the Gunners some victories to celebrate again."
Arteta has snapped up Mari in an ongoing effort to plug Arsenal’s defensive leaks.
He will be expected to hit the ground running when handed his debut, but the highly-rated centre-half is confident that a game which saw him to Copa Libertadores glory with Flamengo in 2019 can be adapted to meet the demands of the Gunners in 2020.
Mari said after linking up with the Premier League heavyweights: "I want to take it one day at a time and achieve big things at Arsenal.
"Right now I want to focus on the day-to-day side of things. I think we need to put the plans to one side for now because the most important thing is to take things one day at a time and focus on achieving short-term goals.
"We need to change the dynamic around the team, so the short-term objectives are the most important thing. As I've said, we have Mikel’s ideas, aligned with the club, and we need to perform very well to change things."
Arsenal, who sit 10th in the English top flight at present, will be back in action after their winter break when they take in a home date with Newcastle on February 16.