Mikel Arteta has snubbed Gary Neville 's advice and disregarded the pundits' Manchester United comparisons after committing his long-term future to Arsenal.
The Gunners confirmed on Friday that the Spaniard has signed a new deal which will see him remain at the Emirates until the summer of 2025. The 40-year-old was joined in putting pen to paper over a contract extension by Arsenal Women 's head coach Jonas Eidevall.
Arteta has overseen a remarkable resurgence in North London this season having guided the Gunners from bottom of the Premier League after three games played to the cusp of a Champions League return. The Spaniard's side currently sit fourth in the league's standings, three points adrift of Chelsea and two ahead of fierce rivals Tottenham, as they close in on a top-four Premier League finish.
While news of Arteta's commitment to Arsenal's cause is likely to be met with delight by much of the club's fanbase, one man who looks set to be left unimpressed is Neville. The former United right-back recently advised Arteta to leave North London at the end of the current campaign, even if a fourth-placed finish is secured.
The Sky Sports pundit praised the Spaniard for his efforts in revitalising Arsenal, however urged the aspiring manager to acknowledge fourth may be "as good as it gets" and suggested Arteta opt to further his career at a more ambitious club. The former Red Devil even cited his old employers as an example, warning of how "depressed ambition" can hold a team and their manager back.
“I really like Mikel Arteta, I think he’s a brilliant coach. I think the team is fantastic in terms of the young players they’ve got," Neville said during a fan debate on The Overlap back in March.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Mikel Arteta right to sign a new Arsenal contract or would he be better off managing elsewhere? Let us know in the comments
“But it’s interesting when you’re in a cycle of a club and you depress the ambition and have a significant period of failure because you then get really happy about finishing fourth. I found myself saying that about Manchester United. But it’s because of a depressed ambition.
“I think Mikel Arteta is a good operator. My concern is if Arsenal finish fourth this season – which to be fair, I think is 50/50, I still think there’s a long way to in that race – but if they finish fourth, that’s in some ways as good as it gets.
“You’ve got Pep [Guardiola], [Jurgen] Klopp, Man United, Chelsea, where can Arsenal go? They’re not going to compete. Mikel Arteta is a brilliant coach, I love that we’re seeing a team that he’s getting the maximum out of, I can see exactly how he wants to play, we all can.
"But he gets to fourth [and] if he was really hard about it, he’d probably say, ‘right, that’s the best I can do there, I’m going now and getting my next job’.”
However, Arteta has clearly shown his disregard for Neville's comments in signing a new deal. The Spaniard's decision to extend his Emirates stay underlines his ambition of aiming higher than a four-placed finish.
At Arsenal, Arteta appears to be overseeing a promising project, which will be far from complete, even if they club do secure a top-four finish and a subsequent Champions League return. From the outside, Neville clearly views the Gunners as having a "depressed ambition", however, from within, it appears there is no ceiling to the club's potential success. Arteta is only just getting started.
