Mikel Arteta hopes Arsenal’s decision to announce his new deal can be a ‘final push’ for his players as they look to end the season with a top four finish.
Having repeatedly said that contract negotiations with players are parked until the end of the season – a decision designed to focus minds on the remaining matches – it’s somewhat amusing that the manager and club have wasted no time resolving his future.
*Cough* Amazon documentary *Cough*
Arteta had one year left on his current contract and has signed an extension that will keep him at Emirates Stadium until 2025.
On the timing of the announcement, which comes alongside confirmation of a new contract for Women’s team manager Jonas Eidevall, he said: “The club was really eager to do it as quickly as we could.
“Obviously they showed a lot of faith and belief in what we are doing, with the coaching staff, what the direction of the team, and they thought the best moment was to do it right now, to give a final push to the team, to give some clarity about what we have to do in the summer, in the future.
“It’s a way of saying ‘listen, from both ways we believe in what we are doing and we want to commit to this project together.’ And this is the place I want to be, so it was a really simple decision for me.”
After two disappointing eighth place finishes in the league, Arteta has successfully engineered European qualification this season. At the bare minimum, we will play in the Europa League and a return to the Champions League is in our hands with four games remaining.
That progress and the general optimism that surrounds his project has been a key factor in the club’s show of faith in him. In Arteta’s mind, it’s time to kick on.
“To take the club to the next level and to compete really with the top team,” he said of his short and long-term aims.
“In order to do that, we have to be playing in the Champions League. We have to be able to evolve the team, improve our players, improve all departments, generate even more connection with our fans, improve the atmosphere at the Emirates, be able to recruit top, top talent and the best people for this club to drive this project to that level.
On the growing connection with supporters, he continued: “For me they have been the tsunami of this project. For two seasons we haven’t had them, so with the way I want the team to play, with the balance we have established, and I want people to lead the club in the way I believe we should be leading it.
“Without them it was impossible to do it. So from the moment we have had them close to us, they have sensed and felt that energy and that way of now representing the club to a much deeper level.
“That’s when a sense of belonging from the fans becomes natural, and that’s why everything clicked in my opinion to go and perform to the level that we are doing now.”
While club owners Stan and Josh Kroenke, still have some way to go to persuade supporters that they are doing their utmost to reestablish Arsenal as a serious force at the top of the game, Arteta appears to have developed a strong bond with them.
On his relationship with the board and ownership, he said: “Probably the way I would define it, it would be empathy, the same purpose and trust. Empathy because the moment I got to know Josh [Kroenke], from the first meeting I got a real sense that the energy was flowing.
“We were really clear and direct. He was showing the same ambition as I was. He could see the club at the same point and he wanted to take the club the way I wanted to do it. So everything that he’s said, and that Stan has said when I’ve been together with both of them, they’ve always delivered.
“I think that’s been a relationship that both ways has been exactly the same, so I’m extremely happy with them, with what they are doing, with their involvement, with the commitment they are showing and with the relationship that we have built together.
With myself, with Edu, with Rich, with Tim Lewis, with Vinai.
“That is really, really important because that connection and that communication has to be there at all times because this is a moving thing and they are extremely important to it.”
Now he’s shown Saka how it’s done, please follow this fine example 😉
Yeah. I think it’s a good idea to get it done before we start negotiations with incoming players.
I can’t help but feel any player with his finger on the pulse will be impressed and interested in Arteta and his project.
He’s quickly becoming revered as one of the most exciting young coaches in world football so for players to know he’s here for the long term is a great statement by Arteta and the club.
Weird that you’re getting down votes….Arteta haters 🙄
This weekend is pivotal. Worried we are taking a Spurs loss and a Leeds win for us for granted (but I always get like this)….COYG 💥💥💥
Some people don’t like me 😂
Watch this 👇👇👇
Arsenal are the best club in the world and I love them so much ❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️
ALL WEEKENDS ARE PIVOTAL
Good stability for players who clearly love him and the way he’s developing them. Great building blocks have been made for a seismic leap, if we can secure CL it will be absolutely huge
will arteta follow down the path of walcott, ozil and aubameyang after they signed their extensions?
I don’t think he will be back on the pitch anytime soon
You forgot Wenger.
No one on this forum was more vocal in his criticism of this guy than me. But he stuck to his principles, he turned it around and he gained my respect. And I firmly believe that respect is something that should be earned on any walk of life. In football parlance blind faith isn’t so much a fifty-fifty ball as a hospital ball. There have been some peaks and troughs and no doubt there will be plenty more. There is no such thing as perfection (although Wenger’s Invincibles going on to win the Champion’s League might just have coined that… Read more »
No one on this forum has posted more knee-jerk drivel after a loss than you (ok, maybe Fatgooner). However, your spin on your ‘criticism’ on here is lovely. Instead of being proved wrong on a consistent basis – aim higher. After all, even though there is no such thing as perfection, real winners in this world never cease in the quest to attain it (apparently). Then again, I don’t know many people other than myself, who strive to attain imperfection. Forget his new contract, Arteta must be over the moon he has your respect. Apparently, some of our fans equate… Read more »
Mate – few on here gave our mate Q more of a hard time that I did, over his Arteta-out rants. But the fella has been big enough to ‘own’ his mistake, and with some eloquence (always useful on a comments chat!).
Give him the gap… embrace the new ‘Arto-getherness’… and let’s move into a brave new era over the next 5 years!
Good points. I am guilty of my fair share of rants about whatever it is I’m ranting about, while convinced I am in the right. I’m possibly also holding on to my annoyance at “[insert player/manager]-out” lot a little too tight. Sometimes the comments seem less of an analysis on a poor performance, and more of a hate based opinion towards our own. I get we all have different opinions on here after each game, but the weekly over-the-top rotational bullshit (not criticism) towards people in AFC by some of the regular posters makes any win-draw-loss that much more negative.… Read more »
You may recall that after our recent three defeats, I was reassuring people who were saying that it was ‘all over’ that it was, in fact, NOT all over.
If that’s ‘knee jerk drivel’ then you’re welcome to it. 😉
I’ve always loved Mikel and believed in him and the process, Q and I had many run ins along the way. I was delighted when he changed his mind because it was at the point when Mikel was starting to prove the process was working. Some of us can just believe in a gut feeling, others need some logical proof, nothing wrong with that. The main thing is that we’re all united now in supporting the team and the manager however we arrived here.
I agree with your sentiments, about being (more) united. I can’t think of a player or manager I didn’t ‘love’ since I started supporting AFC. That does not mean I felt they were all good enough or a suitable fit for our club. Whether comments are based on logic or emotion – it’s always great when fans are being reasonable. As Goonshow stated, I shouldn’t slate those who have changed their opinion. Though, I have never had an issue with differing opinions to mine – only with how they were stated (if that makes sense). Then again, I am under… Read more »
A tad? You’re a total hypocrite.
Seriously mate, you and your right hand need to get a room.
This.
Awesome!
i wonder how much communication Mikel and Jonas have, in terms of sharing ideas etc.
Not that it matters or affects anything, just would be nice to know how their similar but differing roles interact.
I see the point about timing and documentary however I see the timing more as a boost in vital stage of the final sprint. You have a popular manager you know will be here for the foreseeable future. Let’s finish the job, if everything goes right we should be 5 points clear after the weekend. A draw in the NLD would suffice to put us in a very comfortable position. But a win against that lot to secure CL football … I can’t say, the emotion is too high… let’s get back where we belong, Elite football. We have an… Read more »
This is a mistake by the club. They should have waited until the end of the season. What if we lose our final four games? Yes, I know we’ll still be in the Europa League, but we’ll start next season on a real downer. By waiting and taking stock the club could have given themselves the option of bringing in a new manager if necessary. And an elite boss could be available in the summer.
We’ve seen in recent years what happens when the club have rushed to award big contracts and then regretted it.
Or if the rumours are true and Guardiola leaves, we leave ourselves in a really bad position over the summer trying to tie down Arteta on a bigger contract.
And ultimately, from the club point of view, Europa was the first of his objectives. He as already done it so there is no reason why he shouldn’t get a new contract (from the club’s point of view before you start twisting my words into talk about standards or whatever)
Guardiola can join Arsenal as Arteta’s #2.
Sorry mate but don’t agree. I think Arteta has a lot more to prove than the likes of Ozil or Auba.
This is really good stability which should echo around the club and to new players arriving.
It’s good news in my opinion
They have faith that MA is the man to take the club forward. He has all the principles in a manager that they were hoping for and are happy with the job he’s doing.
You think that opinion would change if he lost these last few matches and they’d be like ‘actually no, let’s get someone else and start over again’
I’m glad they extended his contract and am glad they announced it now.
I hear that after the board discussed it, they felt giving Arteta a new deal after losing the next 4 games would lead to you having a complete and utter meltdown. By waiting and taking stock the club would have been taking on too high a risk. They felt a semi-moaning Fatgooner would be far better for the world, than an elite-level-moaning Fatgooner. To clarify – this has not been confirmed by any other independent sources, but what I hear. I disagree with the club, of course. They should have got rid of Arteta yesterday to give us any realistic… Read more »
hes been here for like 2 full seasons now, if you still dont understand the size and issues a manager at this club faces, with the way the club is run, then i dont know what to tell you. If you want to support a team who switches manager as much as kids switch teams then id suggest you go back 10 years and start supporting chelsea or one of the clubs the pozzos own. how you are blind to the progress mikel has brought to us and the damage switching up (even big name) coaches does to a club… Read more »
I think it was already clear (with the favouritism) where this contract extension was heading. Mikel is basically Josh’s bestie in AFC at this point. I really do agree with the last sentence. We haven’t learnt anything from our history it seems. However, as it’s mostly now a different set of people handling contracts at the club, it’s no surprise that they’ve thrown caution to the wind. We’ve been a spontaneous club in recent years. Just last month, we lost three in a row and a consultancy firm was called in to “evaluate” the culture at the club. Then we… Read more »
Aaaaaand…. here’s Fats!!!!
God – you and Santori need to get a room, mate.
Ever thought about taking a transfer up to Old Trafford? They have ‘elite bosses’ going through the revolving doors up there every five minutes. Plus the added bonus of a load of over-the-hill expensive has-beens for you to moan about. Fatmanc. You’d love it.
I dont think this announcement should have been held until the season finished. I don’t think it makes a difference, positive or negative. When Arteta is singlehandedly being flown to Denver, it already becomes obvious where things stand.
I haven’t bought into this so-called “Project” but at the very least the club staff are making tangible targets again. Hopefully we’re finished with the excuses.
If its not gonna make a difference, if its not gonna have a positive or negative, effect, what are you whinging about?
Well. Tom. The article mentions that there has been a presiding fear that contract talk may cause the squad to lose focus “on the remaining matches”.
I’m giving my opinion that I don’t think it makes a difference in Mikel’s case because:
(1) His [old] contract finished next year anyway.
(2) The players likely already knew he was renewing long before we did.
Naturally as it’s not a one sentence article, there are more topics mentioned that are open for commentary. Is there anything else your brain requires me to explain?
Apologies…unless you have edited, i may have read your initial comment here wrong. Possible, your comment on the above thread made me believe you were being overtly negative about the announcement here. Afterall the consultancy gig, it seems like it was in the making regardless. Coincidence in timing or brought forward due to the 3 losses? I agree that in principle it makes fuck all diff announcing it now or come season end, unless you’re a superstitious or illogical nut. I question Edu, as time goes by my only question about Arteta is whether he can get us back to… Read more »
Great. Let’s get Saka and Saliba signed up on new deals and then make our summer moves…
Loving Piers Morgan’s Arteta angst this morning (twat) 💥
The timing of this new deal is proof Arteta would have been sacked if we failed to qualify for Europe next season.
Kudos to him for arresting the recent slide. It’s like the last three games have not only rescued our season, but have kept Arteta in Arsenal’s dugout.
This deal sounds like not pulling pants down before you piss. He still has a lot to prove. Why jump the gun?
You will only piss yourself based on the level of ‘proof’ you require.
If that proof is Champions League qualification, there is a 59.43% chance you should purchase some adult diapers to use for the next 3 weeks.
The proof I needed is to feel I wasn’t as thrilled as I thought I would be for MERELY qualifying for the Europa League. Apparently, achieving most fan’s targets set at the beginning of the season – and having a chance at exceeding them – has me so excited that I do not need to pee.
Isn’t it kind of silly though to give him a deal when the chance is 59.43%, rather than literally two weeks later when it could be 100%?
I don’t necessarily hate giving him the extension (managerial extensions mean nothing), but the timing seems bizarre.