Mikel Arteta has agreed a bumper new contract as Arsenal look to build on their dominance for years to come.
The Spaniard’s current deal at the Emirates Stadium was due to expire at the end of the 2026-27 campaign but such a prospect was never genuinely going to happen, hence the club’s insistence on a new deal.
Arteta led the Gunners to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season. The Mirror reports that his new deal will include a sizeable pay rise from his current £10million per year, plus an additional £5m in bonuses.
Just last week, the 44-year-old was asked about contract talks and responded: “They [the fans] don’t have to worry about any of that because I want to be here. I’m extremely happy and I feel very grateful to work with the people I work with.”
There is no confirmation over the length of his deal but it will take him past a decade in the job, having been appointed in December 2019.
Arteta’s new deal will come as a timely boost for Arsenal fans. The team suffered their first defeat of the season last weekend as Brighton beat them 3-0 with an eye-raising performance as the league pauses for an extended international break.
After the sobering setback, Arteta said post-match: “They (Brighton) deserved to win the game and it’s a big lesson for us. From the first throw-in you could sense it, it was so clear. We put ourselves in trouble one time, two times, three times and we need to get out of that much quicker than that. That’s one of the biggest lessons that we have to take from the game.”
Arsenal resume after the break with a home game against Leeds United.
