Mikel Arteta has said he still has a "scar" from Arsenal's Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in May.
The Spaniard, whose new four-year contract at the Emirates was announced on Wednesday, took the club to their first Champions League final for 20 years last season but saw his team defeated on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Echoing the words of the last man to take them to the brink of elite European glory -- Arsène Wenger, who previously said that "every defeat is a scar in your heart" -- Arteta told The Athletic: "I still have the scar, like Arsène says.
"I still have that poison in my veins. It has to stay there because that's when you learn and that probably is going to be a massive driver for me and everybody."
Looking towards the future, Arteta added that he was excited for a number of different aspects of the club's growth.
"Globally, with our supporters? Great. How are we going to build the next three squads? Great. How the rules of the game are going to change us, and how we're going to stay ahead of that to take advantage? Great," he said.
"But this is going to happen if every single day we look after what we built. We make it a little bit better, like software that is upgrading and upgrading. When can it stop is infinite."
He added: "It feels like it's still a lot to do, and it's just the beginning."
Arteta has, however, already managed to do something no Arsenal manager had achieved for 22 years: win a league title.
"It wasn't just a trophy. It was a moment that we're going to remember for the rest of our lives," he said.
Asked what game from his Arsenal tenure he would relive, the 44-year-old chose the controversial 1-0 win over West Ham which put the Gunners on the brink of returning to the top of the perch.
"This is football elevated to its best version, when a journey, a moment that can change so many people's lives, goes one way or the other," he said. "You just pray because you know if it goes the wrong side, probably it's gone again.
"That day when I went home, I said, 'We're going to be champions. It is our year. This has happened for a reason, and we're going to get it done.'"
Arsenal return from the international break in Saturday's early kickoff against Leeds United at the Emirates, looking to return to the top of the table ahead of Manchester City's trip to Liverpool on Sunday.