When Mikel Arteta signed his last Arsenal contract in September 2024, his quest to bring major silverware back to the club was ongoing. Two years later, he agrees his new one after leading them to a long-awaited Premier League title. His task now is to turn champions into serial winners.
Arteta has overseen a total transformation of the club since his appointment in 2019. Arsenal, 10th in the Premier League table when he took over, were in a state of drift. Now, they are re-established among Europe's elite, unrecognisable in all departments.
Arteta has joined a select group of 13 managers to have won the Premier League. He now has the chance to join an even smaller group, made up of only Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, by winning it more than once. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Securing a first Champions League, after guiding Arsenal to only their second final last term, is another chance for immortality.
The agreement over his new contract, described as an "utmost priority" by co-chair Josh Kroenke in May, reflects the club's belief that they are in the best possible hands. It also gives Arteta the chance to get closer to Guardiola's longevity at Manchester City. The club feel the departure of Arteta's old mentor from City, coupled with instability elsewhere, presents an opportunity to capitalise.
Arsenal are in their "win window", to quote Kroenke. "We think we have a chance here to dominate," he said in May. Arteta's task has been made harder by the failure to add a level-raising forward in the summer.
But his squad is replete with players in or approaching their peak years, between 24 and 28, now with the added experience of having won major silverware. The group look well-set to build on their success. But Arteta, the rookie head coach-turned elite manager whose work other clubs strive now to emulate, might be Arsenal's biggest asset of all, which is why the news of his contract agreement is so significant.
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