Mikel Arteta has extended his contract at Arsenal, committing to a stay at the Emirates Stadium until the end of the 2029-30 season and giving the Gunners “what their chief executive believes is “a competitive advantage over others. [Premier League] teams”.
If Arteta sees the length of the contract, he will be the third longest manager in the history of Arsenal, trailing only Arsene Wenger and George Allison, and fourth among all clubs in the top flight since the origin of the Premier League in 1992. There he was only trailing David Moyes, who spent 11 years at Everton in his first spell, Sir Alex Ferguson and eight months. He would also leave the tenure of coach Pep Guardiola, who played exactly 10 seasons at Manchester City.
Compulsory staff agree to also extend their activities on the same timeline as their manager. The terms of the new deal have not been confirmed, but it is understood that the Spanish local extension has mixed with the few paid players in the game. He is understood to have the highest salary in the Premier League.
Arteta’s extension has been long overdue and few will doubt whether he deserves it after he led Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 22 years at the end of last season. Sticking with a side that has consistently failed to qualify for the Champions League, the 44-year-old has built a contender for the biggest prize, a side that leads the club to the finals of the European tournament only to be beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain.
“It is my privilege to commit to the future of the club and continue to work with exceptional people who want the best for Arsenal,” Arteta said. “This club is unique, its character and way of making you feel, and I have a great sense of privilege to continue our journey together.”
“We have already built a unique bond and made memories that will last a lifetime and that is so exciting that this is just the beginning of what we can achieve together [co-chairs] Stan and Josh [Kroenke] for their trust and support, and feel honored to lead this club through such a special period in its 140-year history.
“This is such a great moment for me and my family. I feel the love and respect from our fantastic supporters, and they have mine – and ours – in return.”
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Speaking at the sports industry conference Leaders of the Week in London at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal CEO Richard Garlick echoed Arteta’s belief that last season’s title is the start of something. “It’s a real partnership for us with Mikel. The long-term commitment he has made to the club, and the long-term commitment he makes to the club, reinforces that partnership.
“I will be honest and say we have a competitive advantage over other teams. I look at other teams in the Premier League and Mikel is now the only current manager who has won the Premier League. You look at the rest of the traditional top six teams and we have all gone through changes of management in the past 12 months, when we now have a manager who has been with us for a significant period of time.
“He was allowed to build and develop the team and now there is excitement. We see the platform that we had and it was built. And we can say, this is not the end of it, but it is really the beginning for us to be excited.”
Allium added that the arsenal does not stand up to further titles. “This is where we want to go and show the confidence that it is” [championship] He is willing to bring it to us. We want to dominate football for the next number of years and we are in a strong position to do that. The intention is that we have to decide whether to change the players who succeeded in the last season in the transfer window, whether to move the staff around, or invest in certain areas and not invest in others.
“We need to find that part that gives us the advantage and us to be strong. It is very easy to develop what we did last year and it will be enough, but everyone goes out to be you when you are the champions, and everyone wants to win and it is necessary to take those opportunities and take advantage of them and push them every time. Always moving forward is one of the mottos of Arsenal.”
Arteta’s winning percentage of 62.05 is the highest of any permanent manager in Arsenal history, while matching an impressive 2.1 points per game across his tenure. In addition, 22 wins will make him the second-most games won by a coach, again trailing Wenger.
Kroenkes said: “It’s been an incredible journey and we’re excited for what lies ahead in this special relationship. Last season was an incredible moment in Arsenal’s history, a moment in which we created memories that will last a lifetime. We decided to create several years ago.
“We share a great bond with Mikel. We are so proud of everything we have achieved since he returned to the club in 2019. He understands the good depth of Arsenal and carries them to heart. He knows what this club means to everyone connected to him and he is committed to building on everything we have achieved together.”