Mikel Arteta has moved to calm any anxiety among Arsenal supporters over his future, insisting a new contract with the Premier League champions will be sorted out without drama.
The 43-year-old is currently working through the final year of his existing deal, even though co-chairman Josh Kroenke described a fresh agreement as an "upmost priority" for the club back in May.
Arteta, however, is adamant that he and Arsenal's hierarchy will find a solution when the moment is right, pointing to the strength of his relationship with those above him at the Emirates.
"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," said Arteta about his contract talks.
"When we have the possibility, we will resolve that. That's it."
"Everybody feels comfortable that the timing of the contract is not going to be an issue because my will certainly is to be here and I'm very happy here. My feeling from the club is the same one. That's why everyone is doing things in a very organic way."
How the contract situation has developed
The uncertainty over Arteta's long-term future is not new. According to ESPN, his three-year deal is up for renewal in 2027, with both manager and club understood to want an extension regardless of how last season finished. Reuters reported that his contract runs until the conclusion of next season, with Arsenal's owners publicly branding a new deal an "utmost priority." That optimism was echoed by Sky Sports, who reported on 28 May 2026 that the Arsenal owners were confident of tying their manager down to fresh terms following the Premier League triumph.
On the financial side, the Guardian reported that Arteta's current pay sits at around £10 million a year, with a further £5 million bonus attached to Champions League qualification. It is a significant rise from the terms he signed when Arsenal officially confirmed, as reported by Arsenal's own website and BBC Sport on 12 September 2024, that he had put pen to paper on a new three-year contract keeping him at the club until 2027.
Does Arteta have enough attacking firepower this season?
Beyond the contract chatter, Arteta was also pressed on whether his squad carries sufficient attacking threat to defend the title and challenge on multiple fronts this term.
Arsenal won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final last season, yet were still criticised in some quarters for lacking punch going forward, even as their defensive record drew widespread praise.
This summer has brought Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis into midfield and attack, while Leandro Trossard has departed for Besiktas. That Guimaraes deal followed a lengthy chase - our earlier coverage detailed how Arsenal closed in on Bruno Guimaraes after a £75m compromise with Newcastle, with Christian Norgaard also completing an Everton medical around the same time, as Arteta declined to discuss the specifics.
Aside from those additions, the Gunners have largely retained the midfielders and forwards who finished last season, despite exploring interest in Vinicius Junior, Julian Alvarez and Bradley Barcola in attacking positions. Arteta had previously said "a lot is happening" as Arsenal stepped up their transfer plans amid the Vinicius Jr links, and he later sidestepped a direct question on Vinicius Jr before ending a press conference following the win over Girona, with Real Madrid's own contract talks with the Brazilian said to have stalled.
Asked directly if he currently has enough attacking quality up front, Arteta replied:
"If they are fit, yes."
"But when you look last year at the amount of days, games, months that we missed a lot of our important players and players with a lot of goal threat, the manner that we sustained to have the season that we had, I think is remarkable."
"It talks about the team playing and conducting, and I think it's something that the team deserves credit for."
"We're going to prefer to elevate our level, for sure, expecting that the rest will do the same, because that's traditionally what happened in the league in the last few years. And that's what we have planned this season, and we want to evolve it."
"I have to prepare a team that is capable of winning in whatever the context is: because we're not good enough on the day, because the opponent is so good, because the differences in games. That's my job, that's how I will prepare the team."
What happens next
Formal negotiations over Arteta's next contract were reportedly shelved until the end of the season, according to ESPN, with discussions expected to resume now that the campaign has concluded. Daily Cannon reported on 2 June 2026 that talks were likely to pick up again over the summer, though a final decision was not expected until Arteta had returned from his holiday. Our earlier reporting also flagged four Arsenal transfers Arteta needs to defend the Premier League title, with Vinicius Junior, Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Julian Alvarez all named among the club's targets as the summer business took shape.
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