As Jonas Eidevall approaches his 100th game in charge on Sunday afternoon, the boss reflected on how the team have grown side-by-side with our supporters.
"[It means] a lot," said Eidevall at his pre-Liverpool press conference. "One of the things that makes us really unique is our supporters. It’s how they fill the Emirates, it’s how they travel in numbers.
"We were away at Reading in the Conti Cup on Wednesday night, and all I saw was red and white, all I heard were Gooners. It’s incredible."
Since Eidevall arrived in north London back in 2021, the growth in attendance at Emirates Stadium and beyond has been startling.
"I think about [how] it looked two-and-a-half years ago and where we are now, there’s been incredible movement. It’s such a huge part of what we’re trying to build here, and let’s hope that this is only the beginning and it continues.
"Once a snowball gets rolling, it goes faster and faster, and picks up more and more snow. So hopefully, we’re building something big."
When asked if he had a standout moment across his tenure at the club, Eidevall had a few in mind.
"I'm really proud of what we have achieved together. It was special to go to Lyon and beat them 5-1 when they were the reigning European champions. I think it was special to win a trophy and beat Chelsea in the Conti Cup final.
"I thought it was special going to the Champions League semi-final and then being so close with so many injuries. That's my most memorable moment and that's for good and bad reasons, because I was so proud of being there and seeing the team performing so well, despite all the difficulties and sharing that moment with a packed Emirates Stadium - that was special.
"That's the sunny part of that memory. But then you also have that dark side of the memory of being so close to going into the penalty shootout and then losing everything in the last seconds of the game and being unable to repair that.
"That's also going to stick, but I think that's what football teaches you. You will have both good and bad memories, and sometimes they're combined into one."
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