Mikel Arteta has committed his future to Arsenal signing a new long-term contract, the Premier League club announced Thursday.
According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Arteta's new deal runs until 2027. The manager's old deal was set to expire at the end of this season. Getting a new deal over the line reconfirms the club's commitment to Arteta's process and development.
"Since joining us in December 2019, Mikel has been a key figure in re-establishing us as a force back at the top of English and European football and generating a renewed connection between the team, the club and our supporters," the club said in the announcement.
Belief in what we do.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 12, 2024
Mikel Arteta has committed his future to The Arsenal ✊ pic.twitter.com/fo9zS9jvL5
Arteta joined Arsenal in late 2019 after the Gunners fired Unai Emery. Arteta delivered an FA Cup in his first season. Poor league finishes didn't shake belief in the Spaniard as the squad was continuously rebuilt and refined across multiple transfer windows. Key signings like Benjamin White, Gabriel Magalhães, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice have transformed Arsenal's identity on the pitch and in the league table.
"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," Arteta said.
Arsenal finished runners-up in back-to-back seasons behind Pep Guardiola's Manchester City returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2016. The Gunners reached the quarterfinals last season for the first time since 2010. Arteta reached 100 Premier League managerial victories 10 games faster that Arsenal icon Arsene Wenger. The San Sebastian-born manager is still looking for another major piece of silverware after the 2020 FA Cup triumph.
Arteta's deepest run in a tournament after the FA Cup was a semifinal exit to Emery, the man he succeeded, and his Villarreal side in the UEFA Europa League.
Arsenal heads to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Sunday to take on its rival in the north London derby. The Gunners will be without Declan Rice through suspension, summer signing Mikel Merino and possibly Martin Odegaard after the captain suffered a left ankle injury during the international break.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Signs New Arsenal Contract Through 2027.
