Mikel Arteta says he’ll resume contract talks with Arsenal once the transfer window closes next Friday.
The Spaniard took over as head coach in December 2019 and was soon promoted to manager before signing a three-year extension in 2022.
With the end of his current deal in sight, it’s expected he’ll commit to a new long-term deal.
Arteta has regularly made clear that he and the club are on the same page when it comes to his future and despite being sounded out by other clubs, including Barcelona, he has no intention of walking away from his Arsenal project.
“The focus has been on the transfer window and we’ve had quite a lot of things to do and discuss. We’re on it and we’ll take care of that in the right moment,” Arteta told his pre-Aston Villa press conference.
Asked if that means once the transfer window closes, he replied, “Yeah.”
He added: “I am [excited] and I’m very grateful for where I’m sitting and the people that I work with every single day.
“It’s really difficult to find that harmony, that trust, that belief, that same alignment in ambition and it’s something that I always mention. I believe that we have an unbelievable time ahead of us, it’s very exciting and I’m very excited about it.
“I see myself today and tomorrow,” he said whether he has ambitions to emulate the tenures of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City or Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
“This is the reality for us managers. We have to live with that urgency as well, it’s something good, it’s something that I actually like.
“Looking two years time, three years time, okay, you have to plan because it’s the club, but what is going to happen afterwards will depend on how good the results are that we get. That’s our reality. In the meantime, do your best and enjoy it if you can.”
With the backing of the owners, the 42-year-old has rebuilt the squad in his own image over the last five years, bringing Champions League football back to the Emirates and revitalising the connection between players and supporters.
It’s not all been plain sailing. He initially struggled to lift a bloated and unbalanced squad from its mid-table stupor, however, with an early FA Cup success to his name, he earned the trust of the board and the patience of supporters while he got to grips with the job at hand.
It’s now expected that Arsenal will contend for the Premier League title for a third year in a row.
The legacy of Arsene Wenger lives on. Who would have thought when Wenger signed Arteta, that he would one day come back and rebuild the Arsenal into one of the greatest sides in Europe again.
What a fabulous manager Arteta is. We are so blessed to have one of best 3 managers in the world. What he has done at The Arsenal is nothing short of incredible. We haven’t won a premiership yet but everywhere I go I see the envy in opposing supporters. The envy has replaced the glee that was there for a few years and was very painful.
In Arteta we trust ❤️
I’m not anti Arteta, but save the hyperbole until Arteta actually wins something major lol. He’s spent almost 70 million on keepers and tons of money on defenders, but our best players remain Saka (developed by Emery) and Saliba (bought by Sanllehi). His refusal to rotate properly also costs the club millions.
“developed by Emery” – Emery tried to use Saka as a makeweight for a deal to bring in Zaha
Nice tackle, blogs!
Reminds me of the ways people bent themselves into pretzels trying to discredit Wenger even after he won titles and went invincible.
Yeah Emery wanted Saka out so much that he kept playing him week in week out, which probably has zero chance to happen under Arteta. Regarding your counter, give me a credible source, blog. By the time I wrote this, another 35 million was probably thrown away with the loan of Fabio Vieira. But knowing you guys ‘judgment’, it’s probably Edu’s fault. No way ‘one of the best managers in the world’ has anything to do with Vieria. Or Willian. Ramsdale. Lokonga etc. etc. Contrary to what you guys might believe, I do hope to be proved wrong and see… Read more »
Thank goodness you aren’t anti-Arteta! 😉
Pep signed Kalvin Phillips. It happens. You sound like a bundle of fun to go to a game with.
You’re not anti-Arteta, you’re just taking two things totally out of context and using them to say he’s actually not that great while completely glossing over everything else.
Our best players? You forgot to mention Ødegaard, Rice & White.
Arteta’s Arsenal won more second most points and scored first and second most goals in a season in the clubs history. Thats not normal. Thats extraordinary. You not getting that makes you sound very much like a hating rival fan.
Super super Mik
Sometimes I get a weird premonition about a name. I’ve never felt that so strongly as when I played FIFA 2003 manager mode as Celtic, and my nemesis was Rangers, and their best player was MIKEL ARTETA, then a spritely wide midfield type. Somehow the name really resonated for me, but I didn’t know why.
Does Arteta sign a contract every year?