Mikel Arteta looks set to stay at Arsenal until the summer of 2016 with his agent claiming he’s agreed a one year contract extension.
The 32-year-old’s current deal ends this summer and he had been allowed to talk to interested parties from abroad. It appears though that he’s eager to prolong his stint at the Emirates after a frustrating injury-hit first year as club captain.
Arteta, who is out of action until April after surgery on his ankle, signed from Everton for £10 million on deadline day in 2011 and has been a mainstay of the first team throughout his four years in London with his experience and versatility proving very useful indeed.
Speaking about his client agent Inaki Ibanez told footmercato.net: “Mikel is no longer free next June, because he now has an extra year on his contract.”
David Moyes, now manager of the Arteta’s hometown club Real Sociedad, had been tipped to offer him a contract having worked with the player on Merseyside. Thankfully he tried to do so in Spanish and Mikel had no idea what he was on about.
Obviously we’re waiting on official confirmation from the club. Similar whispers actually circulated back in September, but the deal was never actually announced.
Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin are also expected to pen extensions in the near future.
Apparently Moyes said “Le aposté lamo palomas en su tiempo de repuesto”
Google translate for me, I can’t be arsed.
Turns out I could be arsed to. “I bet lick pigeons in his spare time “
If google translate is correct on this then this is exactly how I picture Moyes speaking Spanish.
Hopefully the coq will stay long.
Interesting. We sign Arteta to a contract extension but we have Coquelin, who may or may not stay, and we’re expected to go buy a holding midfielder in the summer.
Is that another captain relegated to being second choice? We’ve had miserable luck with our captains over the last few years. I hope we get over it soon.
Who’s expecting us to buy a holding midfielder in the summer? The rumour-mongers? And a captain who is second choice is not unusual, just look at Puyol and Xavi.
I’ll argue my case because I don’t understand your point- Puyol and Xavi were Barca stalwarts for years before they became captain. I like to think of a captain as someone who will lead on the pitch as well. Arteta is a great passer and a very good player but he is getting on in age. Hence only a one year contract extension. Just look at Rosicky- he’s a world-beater on his day- but he’s hardly played at all in the first half of the season because he’s a little older than the rest. Maybe “second choice” is the wrong… Read more »
The answer to your concerns lies in the fact that who wears that silly armband is one step below what brand of smokes Szczesny had in the shower on the relevancy scale.
What has Arteta done to make you think he is not a good captain? Is it because he doesn’t jump around screaming and waving his arms like a madman? Actually, the comparison to Xavi is not a bad one. Both are in the twilight of their career, both are ‘squad players’, or ‘second choice’ or whatever you want to call it, and both are highly respected by everyone at the club. As for getting another holding midfielder in the summer, your opinion is as good as anyone else’s. There’s still a lot of football to be played this season. We… Read more »
I don’t think the priority is now going to be buying a DM.
If Coq signs as well, in wenger’s mind he has the General, the Leutenant and now in Bielik, the fresh young private for that position.
I think though, he may go back to addressing and refining his front line. I get the feeling bringing in Wellbeck was a plan B signing and he’ll go back for plan A this summer.
Arteta is proven to be good enough, but considering his age then we will need another one, regardless of whether Coquelin signs on or not.
Also, Coq has proved himself over 4/5 games so far, it’s a start but if he carries on at this level, he won’t be losing his place in the team any time soon.
I had a response, and I thought I had posted it, but it must have got lost somewhere, and I couldn’t be bothered to re-type it. Just so you know.
Wenger had said in the past he viewed Wilshere as a future captain. Will this happen ?
If he’s still here in a couple years time and gets over his injury issues, maybe
Why not Rambo for future captain. I think he’s much more deserving. Obviously after BFG retires though.
Ramsey was the Welsh captain under the late Gary Speed as well, and by all accounts did a very good job of it, despite his young age.
no way, far too aggressive, too injury-prone, and still has the mentality of a child out there. I think Ramsey would be a much better captain, but Arteta, Per, and even Kos would probably be selected first.
Lets have fag while I ponder this issue!
I’m pretty sure Wenger makes the oldest player on the pitch captain except they need somewhat good leadership skills.
great news, quality player who still has a job to do.
I’ll second that, so its good news for him (Arteta) and good news for me, too.
Need Arteta to stay on and teach Bielik to dictate play. Might get Coq-blocked when he comes back though
I agree in that I don’t mind him sticking around for his experience and know-how. It would help someone like Bielik develop.
However, it’s pretty obvious that he is not good enough to be our first choice DM as Coquelin is a far better option than both him and Flamini, and I hope Arsene doesn’t draft Arteta back as first choice when he returns from injury.
As an Arse man I’m a real sucker for Coq!
Probably best left ’til after lunch, that one.
Think more than regular playing time Arteta will there help the new players settle and also teach some professionalism to the younger ones.
Is anyone else worried that we might lose Chuba Akpom this summer- he seems a talented player and he is only 19 so will improve
Yes, very worried, he’s potentially the best player to come through the youth team in a good while, it’s utterly laughable that we had Sanogo up front birdwatching (he wasn’t playing football anyway) while Akpom was waiting to get on the bench
Not especially, he’s a talented young guy but we’ve had plenty of them in the past and seen plenty of them leave and not do anything. If he goes on to be a success then good for him, if not then it doesn’t really affect us.
It’s pretty much a toss-up between him and Sanogo anyway, one is more technical and probably quicker, whilst the other one has decent tekkers and can act as a battering ram.
1-0 winner at Home to city.
Not that he’s going. But always how I’ll remember him.
Unless he does something greater.
FA cup winning Penalty against Liver…….Bolton.
For me, the free kick he twatted in from 30 yards against villa (?) couple seasons back. Hit that thing with some violence !
I actually love the man, too long have we been accused of having a young experienced side, guys like tets and little Mozart need to be kept around
His magnificent hair is, I believe, in line for a statue all of its own on the stadium concourse as part of his contract requests.
Maybe we can place it on Herby’s bust?
Aha! A hair extension. I’ve heard of that.
“Thankfully he tried to do so in Spanish and Mikel had no idea what he was on about.”
Fucking brilliant.
That means no DM in the summer except Coquelin refuses to sign. The money will then be used to get another winger to replace Poldi and Campbel who are not coming back.
We’ll be one of the favourites for the league title next season as the team is slowly but surely becoming a very strong and compact unit with many options.
I reckon we’ll still get a defensive midfielder. Afteta will be playing far less with age and injury hindering him. Flamini will likely go and Bielek is a couple of years away yet so there’s definitely room for one more to come in.
You underestimate Wenger’s inclination to play kids. Bielik will be an integral part of the team come next season
I’m not sure that he’s 100% inclined to play youth. The youth project was about saving cash while we put a dent in the stadium debt. Wenger isn’t dumb and I’m sure he’s not too inclined to sacrifice the success of the club if he has other options. In be very surprised to see Bielik playing more than a bit part role next year, unless he turns out to be a prodigious talent.
It’s more about leaving a path into the team for talent, rather than playing them at any opportunity over better players.
Worth bearing in mind that we play two midfielders back there too, so it’s Ramsey/Wiislhere/Arteta/Coq/new guy/Bielik for 2 positions, rather than 3 of them for 1.
6 players for 2 positions vs 3 players for 1 position.
I see what you just did there…
I still feel that if Coquelin signs, Arsene won’t sign another. He will go with him and Arteta while Flamini goes and Beilik is promoted. Like I said earlier, we will only sign a DM if Coquelin chooses to go somewhere else.
We have some other young options as DM such as Chambers, Hayden, M-Niles and some of the others could probably have a decent go at it like Nacho or Kozzer.
Wenger will certainly go for a DM ( Schneiderlin is hugely fancied as you all know) as we will need two. Coquelin will be one ( inconceivable that he will leave now he is taking his chance)Bielik is more for the future and Arteta will step in here and there. We need two as Coq has shown how crucialthe role is and also that Arteta and Flamini are well below his standard. Makes sense for him to stay one more year as he is not on a big contract and this year has taught us how deep a squad must… Read more »
Not sure that Arteta is well below the dstandard of coquelin…..
Its a matter of opinion of course but to my eyes Arteta cannot cover the ground needed for the DM role. That is just his age talking.
Don’t think it means that at all. If anything, it gives me wood knowing we will have an intelligent pass master on the bench to control the final 20-25 minutes of games where the younger guys have put us in a winning position.
This is good.
Would be interested to see Coq and Arteta Play together in certain games…
I’m perfectly fine and happy with this. He provides solidity and leadership and would be valuable to keep in the squad. I’d however think it’s fairly clear that Coq should be our starting defensive mid, and not Arteta from here on. Arteta simply does not have the pace anymore to recovery tackle or chase people when the ball is lost. Our squad has no holes right now and I’d like us to kick on in terms of the league and a trophy or two, ideally. If I’m being hyper demanding I think a Lewandowski-type up front and a Schneiderlin-type DM… Read more »
I think it’s worth bearing in mind the number of games he played when he was looking a little ropey, he is old and a little bit slow but not TOO slow or TOO old as long as he doesn’t have to play every game.
Against teams where we want to keep posession Arteta may be a better bet than Coquelin.
Speed isn’t quite so important if you can read the game well and Arteta certainly does that well.
That’s where Flamini falls down a bit.
It’s probably worth bearing in mind that Mikel Arteta has been running around for goodness knows how long with an ankle spur that must have been bloody painful and was certainly impacting on his fitness. I’m looking forward to seeing him when he comes back and I’m really glad he’s got a new contract because I think he’s a really class act on and off the pitch. For three seasons we could hardly win a game without him and now the team is coming together I want him to be a part of it when we start winning things. He’s… Read more »
Right now, I would say a world-class finisher is much more of a priority than CDM because Coq looks like he’ll be that WC CDM
Far as i know, the coq will be happy to slide through any cunt-ract Wenger spreads on the table.
As far as i know, the coq is ready to slide through any cunt-ract spread open on the table
Guess we can expect flamini to be let go, unless we decide not to buy a summer DM in which case he should probably stay as cover
Unrelated but Bojan Krkic out for the season- gutted for him as he’s a great player but what wonderful news for Stoke fans. Bojan is NOT how football is meant to be played, you’re meant to hoof the ball and put in studs-up knee high tackles!
Yes the groundsman was interviewed afterwards and said that he isn’t that kind of pitch and that the pitch is actually in tears and telling its Mum…
This is great news. With Tomas Rosicky and him we have two absolute role models staying on with the club.
Like the little Mozart, I’m sure Arteta will also thrive in reduced or limited minutes and we’ll all be talking about how Wenger hasn’t used him enough the same time next year 😉
And of course, Arsenal always plays in 3 or 4 competitions until March, so depth is vital (as we saw in December when our whole midfield was injured).
Happy for the Captain!
Has Rosicky been given another year on his contract? To when? I thought it was up in the summer this year.
Hope I’m wrong.
Rosicky still has a while to go, he was given a 3 year deal not long ago.
Anybody know what is going on with Gabriel?
Yeah, a bit odd that theres been no official announcement yet? Been busy with a sick puking baby last few days and expected to come back and find lots of the obligatory awkward photos of him holding up a jersey while wearing jersey as if saying “do I look fat in this, should I try a larger size?”. But no.
Medical reveal he’s held together by blue tac? That stupid rumour in the old Daily Star rumour machine about Man U trying to gazzump us at last minute true?
And apologies for continuing an off topic comment. Keeping important core members of our team while we transition in new blood is fantastic. Using our kick a** youth is great, but its only fair to give them the support they need while the learn the ropes – like how to properly style your hair for british weather – its a much more physical, direct, fast paced breeze you have to contend with here.
Also Arteta is just admirably awesome.
Heading to Napoli
Legooo!
A true professional and a very good role model….not only for young players but all in the profession. For that alone, he deserves two not one year contract. But happy still there he is rewarded for his examplary service to club.
He will definitely not be starting most of the games next season….but he will playing many games for sure. So many games to play anyway. Has always done his best & lead the players by example. Still hopeful he will still play significant part in the final stretch of the season
Miyaichi, remember him? Just scored for FC Twente:
http://instagram.com/p/yVI4SzsOuS/?modal=true
Along with Wellington Silva, two young wingers who don’t look like they’re going to make the cut, sadly.
Well this simply means Wenger does not intend on signing a DM this summer.
So our DMs for next season are Arteta, Coq and Bielik. I don’t see how its possible to add Busquets or Schnederlin even if flamini leaves.
Artea, Coq and Bielik…i don’t know how to feel about this.
If only your magic crystal ball could tell you how to think too, eh?
It says i should you shut the hell up einstein.
They can play together. I believe Wenger knows that this is a possibility too, so I think we’ll see another one added, if Flamini goes (it seems more than likely he will).
it simply is not possible to have 4 DMs.
arteta can play as a cm, but we have ramsey, wilshere, santi, rosicky jostling for that too.
You honestly think Coq is going to sign a new contract just to play as second choice?? He’s not getting younger, he’ll want assurances of being first choice DM.
Now we need and extension for the Coq
Having Arteta back for another year can be nothing but a positive for Arsenal. Consummate professional in every sense and still has something to add on the field. May not be the primary DM next season, but certainly has a role he can play in the squad. Although he will be a year older can still be a strong contributor and at a minimum gives us cover if Coquelin doesn’t resign and/or we don’t sign a DM this Summer.
Precisely; if he’s happy to be around the club and pushing for a first team spot then there isn’t a bad thing about offering him a new deal.
I can see Arteta doing a coaching licence later on at Arsenal. Maybe Rosicky as well?
Love mikel and the way he’s rolled his sleeves up and fought for us, but he’s not good enough at the top level and I hope he will be just a squad player while they get a proper DM into the team.
I guess that leaves the Flamster to find a new team. Yes, he’s been sort of a liability in recent memory, but he kind of grew on me (I seriously balked when his return was announced). Nice to see a toughness back in the team when he came back. The Coq seems to have some of that toughness with youth and talent on his side, and hopefully will stay and carry on. Fingers crossed.
Our captain, our captain! Excellent news!
Decisions like this and giving Flamini a 3 year contract are why Arsenal haven’t won the league in 10 years. Both players are finished but both will be in the squad next season and the reason why Wenger won’t finally sort out the defensive midfield position. A position he’s neglected for several years. Wenger used to be ruthless with players he thought were just over the hill eg, Gilberto, Vieira and Pires. Now he’s giving a player whose legs have gone another contract.
Funny, I seem to remember that getting rid of old players too early was why we’d never win the league again.
Arteta is passed his best.
Am I the only one thinking we need another strong defender
Probably.
Hope Coq is given an extension as well.
Wear and tear issue may see Arteta moved on. However, he is still only 32yrs and his experience is invaluable. If he is deemed fit enough, he will be excellent to have for another year to chaperone the likes of Coquelin (and maybe even Chambers, Bielik) Flamini will also likely be available to add an alternate DM. We are good in this position but retain the option to add (likely in lieu of Arteta) if need be if say a Khedira (experience and height) comes on line. Where we were deficient this season was not the fabled ‘soft centre’. We… Read more »
Aside from Giroud, Walcott’s contract is also coming up. One to watch. Akpom needs to be tied down to. He shows plenty of promise. Giroud, Debuchy, Monreal, Santi, Flamini should carry us over the next season or two giving a bit of space for some of the younger players to develop in Sanogo, Bielik, Zelalem, Gnabry, Akpom. Rosicky is the other player in veteran category similar to Arteta that may elect to extend or move on for a sunset pay check. There are internal solutions for these departures but we can also shift the squad around depending on development in… Read more »
I think this is good news. He’s a leader on and off the pitch and a very good character to have in the dressing rooms – vital to help youngsters like Bielik come through in the first-team. He shouldn’t be our starting defensive-midfielder though and we should move for Schneiderlin in the summer, sell Diaby and Flamini and keep Coquelin. Schneiderlin, Coquelin and Arteta should make for very good competition.
Didn’t Giroud sign a 2-year extension already last year?
Reminded me of this video. That hair really is perfecto
Watch “#RainbowLaces: Change the Game” on YouTube – #RainbowLaces: Change the Game: http://youtu.be/eTb-eepjheE