Mikel Arteta agrees new Arsenal contract to secure his future – after he entered the last year of his deal
- Mikel Arteta replaced Unai Emery as Arsenal manager in December 2019
- The Spaniard has changed the Gunners’ fortunes over the past five years
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Mikel Arteta has signed a new three-year contract with Arsenal, extending his stay at the club until 2027.
The Spaniard, who replaced Unai Emery in December 2019, has transformed the Gunners from outsiders to genuine Premier League title contenders in his five years as manager.
Arteta’s current contract was due to expire at the end of the current season and the new deal will end the uncertainty over his future.
It also gives Arsenal a huge boost ahead of the North London derby against Tottenham this weekend.
Arteta, who honed his coaching skills as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Man City for three years (between 2016 and 2019), replaced Emery at the Emirates after a difficult few years for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta has signed a new three-year contract at Arsenal, extending his stay until 2027
Arteta replaced Unai Emery in December 2019 and he has had a huge impact on the Gunners
He is hugely popular with fans and has helped change the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium
He led the club to the FA Cup in 2019-20 after making an impressive impression, shortly after which his title changed from head coach to manager, demonstrating the extent of his influence on the club.
Arteta subsequently oversaw a painstaking rebuild, bringing in several young talents such as Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli, and shedding big names such as Mesut Özil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
After leading the Gunners to eighth place in succession, Arsenal finished fifth in the 2021-22 season, before narrowly missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City in the past two seasons.
Arteta, who signed his previous contract in 2022, has won 139 of the 235 games he has played as manager of the club and has helped completely transform the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium.
The Spaniard has put the Gunners back on the map as a competitive force, winning the Community Shield in 2020 and 2023, and also led the club back to the Champions League after a seven-year absence prior to last season.
Arteta’s performances have earned him admiring glances from Barcelona, but his new contract confirms the 42-year-old’s commitment to the club and ensures his spell will last longer than five years.
Arteta had previously made his mark as assistant coach to Pep Guardiola between 2016 and 2019
Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup victory remains the only major trophy Arteta has won with the club
Arteta has built and developed an extremely exciting and young team at the Emirates
In March, Arteta recorded his 100th Premier League victory as a manager, seven games shy of Arsenal’s iconic former manager Arsene Wenger.
The Spaniard has made 150 appearances for the club so far, spanning five seasons, two of which he spent as captain.
Arsenal have won two and drawn from their opening three games so far this season, but face a tough task at Tottenham on Sunday with Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Declan Rice all unavailable through injury or suspension.
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