Mikel Arteta’s appetite for success is insatiable. “I feel good, different, hopefully better. More excited than ever. Hungrier than ever,” he declared after Arsenal opened the defense of their Premier League title with victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield.
That hunger won’t be sated by a new contract, which has been a secret guarded as closely as the artwork in the Louvre and billed by the Daily Mail as a “bumper” increase in salary. There will always be another peak to scale, with Arteta’s stated ambition to turn Arsenal into “the best club in the world.”
Cementing the future of a manager with Arteta’s quality is a step in that direction but the biggest task for the decision makers in north London is tying down their best players to new contracts. The likes of Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel have all been lucratively rewarded since the summer of 2025, but there are still some key figures to secure.
3. Martin Odegaard
Age: 27
Contract expires: 2028
It’s remarkable to think that Martin Ødegaard’s exit had ever been considered by some fans. The club’s talismanic captain was riddled with unfortunate injuries last season, robbing him of any rhythm. Yet, that didn’t stop him from finishing a title-winning campaign as Arsenal’s leading assist provider in the Premier League.
Those questionable qualms have been quashed by a rampant World Cup with Norway and a similarly dominant start to the club campaign. Ødegaard has “a point to prove,” according to Arteta. “I sensed from the first day that he joined [in preseason] that he has something else in the belly that he wants to prove and show.” Upon his return from the States, Ødegaard used the gym of a local school to stay sharp before even making his Arsenal return.
Beyond his abundant on-pitch qualities, it’s the intangibles that make the 27-year-old so valuable to the club. Ødegaard is the link between the squad and the coaching staff, Arteta’s embodiment on the pitch and the players’ representative in the manager’s office. The first person to reach out to any new signing is always the last one to keep in contact with those who have moved on.
If the point he’s trying to get across is his sustained worth to the collective, the skipper has made a compelling case thus far.
Every Arsenal Player Out of Contract in 2028
- Ben White
- David Raya
- Declan Rice
- Illan Meslier
- Jurriën Timber
- Kai Havertz
- Kepa Arrizabalaga
- Martin Ødegaard
- Mikel Merino
2. David Raya
Age: 31
Contract expires: 2028
“Sometimes,” Arteta mused at the end of last season, “I think we take some of the things he does as normal when they’re not.”
Goalkeeper has long been one of the most undervalued positions on the pitch and it would be easy for David Raya’s qualities to go overlooked given the strength of the defense in front of him. However, the ball does occasionally squirm past Gabriel and William Saliba—yet that’s often where it stops.
Raya led the entire Champions League last season for ‘goal prevented,’ an advanced statistic which takes into account the speed, trajectory and positioning of every shot on target to estimate the number of goals the average goalkeeper would be expected to concede. Raya allowed just five en route to the final, less than half he was expected to, per FotMob.
1. Declan Rice
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