Mikel Arteta has committed his future to Arsenal by signing a new three-year deal.
The Spaniard was appointed head coach at Emirates Stadium in December 2019, earned a promotion to manager the following year and penned his most recent contract in 2022. His decision to extend his stay in N5 continues a relationship with the Gunners that started in 2011 when Arsene Wenger signed him as a player.
During his time in the dugout, Arteta has reestablished Arsenal as a force to be reckoned with in English football, revamping the team step-by-step to become genuine contenders for the Premier League title while also ending a seven-year Champions League exodus.
After finishing eighth in his first full season – a difficult year that saw the Spaniard’s inexperience questioned by many supporters – progress on the pitch has since been clear and obvious. His side finished fifth in 21/22 with 69 points, second in 22/23 with 84 points and second again in 23/24 with 89 points; the second-highest tally achieved by the club after Wenger’s 03/04 Invincibles. He also has an FA Cup title to his name after the improbable Wembley success during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Having shorn the senior squad of overpaid and underperforming stars, he and Sporting Director Edu, with the backing of the club’s owners, have spent heavily in the transfer market, recruiting up-and-coming stars and experienced pros to blend with homegrown talent. While many of the latter have moved on, victims of Arteta;s ruthless streak, the sense that he’s created a squad in his image remains.
Central to the manager’s popularity is the emphasis he’s placed on rebuilding a connection with supporters. When he joined from Manchester City, he was quick to recognise how splintered the fanbase had become during Wenger’s final years and Unai Emery’s short stint in charge.
While it’s reductive to suggest the introduction of Louis Dunford’s ‘The Angel’ as a pre-match anthem changed all that, the manager’s request to integrate a song that resonated with supporters underlined how much his finger is on the pulse. He’s also backed a number of other club initiatives to improve the atmosphere, including the introduction of matchday ‘hype’ videos shared on social media.
Reflecting on his new deal, Arteta said: “I feel extremely proud, very excited and am looking forward to what is coming next. I’m proud to be where I am and have the relationships that I have with everyone at the club.
“I feel extremely lucky to work every single day with good people and the ambition we have here. I feel very inspired, I feel challenged, I feel supported and I want to do much more than what we’ve already done together.
“Together with the players and everyone at the club, we are looking forward to the coming years, with our supporters, who have emotionally transformed the club and the team. Our supporters have transformed individuals and we are different now. You can tell that we are different and for me, that is down to them. We look forward to continuing the journey together.”
Lovely stuff.
Now, let’s go win the north London derby.
It’s pretty simple, we have this guy to thank for where we are. People demand perfection from this guy (which is not fair to ask of any human in any context) and still he has come damn close to meeting those impossible estandards…
World class manager.
Onwards and upwards! If he can keep us on the same trajectory he will become a legend of a manager.
100% There isn’t a manager out there who I would take over him. He made me fall back in love with football when he took over, and the journey has been progress.
We’re competing again. That’s all I ever prayed for during those dark times. And he did it. We’re a serious team again and he will always have my gratitude for that. Fantastic news.
Cool!
Midfield cover.
It’s easy to forget that it was simply impossible to think that we might be contenders ever again just a few years back.
We used to watch Liverpool City games and accept that this was a whole different ball game. But now we are part of these sorts of matches. And we are winning them. 4 points from Liverpool and City last season.
I have such gratitude for this man for turning my arsenal fandom from a cross I have to bear into a giddy, excited child once again.
Gracias Mikel.
Here’s to four more years!
We’ve improved every single season under him, even after we finished second and came close to the title two years ago, we came even closer last season. It’s just that as you get closer and closer to perfection the gains are by definition more miniscule so some people don’t notice them as much. I honestly don’t know if the upwards trend will continue this year, a season like we had last season wins you the title most years so it’d be unfair to expect to surpass that. If we consistently get to around that level challenging for top honours in… Read more »
Exeptional manager! We took a risky punt hiring him without experience and there was always going to be a tricky growth period – particularly with the squad and egos he inherited. After a testy period trying to make that work, he chose the right path and cut bait basically with all of them and forged a plan and it’s bearing tasty fruit. I was critical because I didn’t think someone so inexperienced could handle that disasterous squad build, and while we definitely struggled in his early days, supporting Arteta and Arteta’s plan to just get rid was the right path;… Read more »
Well fuggin put. Absolutely agree. Such exciting times and im gonna make sure I enjoy each moment of it this time around.
Our most important signing.
Hoping this is just the first of many contract extensions for Mikel!
Needed a photo of Edu and Mikel flanking Arteta while he signs da ting
Thank you Mikel. Here’s to 3 more exciting years.
Can he play on Sunday?
Great news
Hope he stays injury free
Interesting timing. I think they know they messed up in the transfer window and our realistic goal this season is top 4 or 3rd at best. So they wrapped it up now before the upcoming disappointment. Arteta has been great improvement for the club, don’t get me wrong. Hopefully they will learn from their mistake and strengthen the squad significantly next summer so we can seriously compete again.
Huh?
You said it better and more succinctly than I did
4th or 3rd at best? Who’s so likely to leapfrog over us, Liverpool with their new untested manager? Tottenham? Hahaha. Man United? Hahahahaha. I’m not saying it’s out of realm of possibility that we finish 4th if our injury luck continues this way and everything else goes badly, but to say that 3rd is our best case scenario is just exaggeration for the sake of getting your frustration out about transfers (frustration we all share btw and I’m sure many at the club do too) . Look at our squad, even with two of our best players out we still… Read more »
Thankfully some good news. Big test for selection for him for few months with Odegaard absence. I think we will see Nwaneri at some stage and I have faith we have a gem there. I don’t think it’s a gamble when a 17 year old has talent but it’s down to Arteta shrewdness in how he gets him some minutes. The next few games will be interesting to find out. For me start him against Atalanta when Rice is back and if he plays well then he starts against City.