Mikel Arteta has moved to reassure Arsenal supporters that a new contract will be sorted out in due course, playing down suggestions his future at the Emirates is in any doubt.
The Spaniard is currently in what appears to be the final year of his existing deal with the Premier League champions, despite co-chairman Josh Kroenke stating back in May that tying the manager down was an "upmost priority" for the club.
However, Arteta says both parties are relaxed about the timeline, insisting that he and the club will naturally reach an agreement because of how settled he feels in north London.
"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."
Contract picture more complicated than it appears
The situation is actually more nuanced than Arteta's comments alone suggest. According to Yahoo Sports, Arsenal have paused formal contract negotiations with Arteta until after the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, with any final decision expected only once he returns from his summer holiday.
The same report indicates that any renewal is likely to require a substantial pay increase, with Arteta's salary potentially climbing as high as £15m a season.
Separately, Reuters reported that Arsenal's owners have since reiterated that agreeing a new contract for Arteta is an "utmost priority" following the club's Premier League title triumph.
Adding further context, ESPN notes that Arteta's current contract is understood to run until 2027, meaning he is not technically entering the final months of his existing deal despite the uncertainty surrounding fresh talks. That detail sits somewhat at odds with suggestions he has entered the last year of his terms, though both versions have circulated.
According to The Athletic (via the New York Times), Arteta's last extension was reportedly agreed in September 2025 and was worth a basic £12m salary that could rise to £15m with bonuses included.
Arsenal's transfer activity this summer has been extensive, and Arteta's contract situation has run alongside a busy window for incomings. Our own earlier coverage outlined how Arsenal were plotting more major moves after last season's title win, with Vinicius Junior, Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Julian Alvarez among the names linked at the time.
Arteta himself had previously admitted "a lot is happening" at the club as those transfer links continued, as detailed in our report on Arsenal's step-up in transfer plans amid the Vinicius Jr speculation.
Guimaraes eventually moved closer to Arsenal after what was described as a £75m compromise with Newcastle, with Christian Norgaard also completing an Everton medical around the same time - all while Arteta declined to discuss the specifics, as covered in our piece on Arsenal closing in on Bruno Guimaraes.
Arteta also sidestepped questions on Vinicius Jr on a separate occasion, ending a press conference after Arsenal's win over Girona as Real Madrid's own contract talks with the Brazilian winger stalled, according to our report on Arteta sidestepping the Vinicius Jr question.
Backdrop of earlier reassurances
This is not the first time Arteta has tried to calm speculation over his future. Back in April, according to Reuters, he downplayed contract talk, saying there was "no news" and stressing that focus needed to remain on the run-in to the season.
Several reports in the spring, including from Sky Sports, suggested Arsenal had already begun early discussions and wanted to extend Arteta's deal over the summer regardless of how the season finished. Sky Sports also reported separately that Arsenal view retaining Arteta as central to the project after ending a long wait for a league title.
What happens next
Formal negotiations are expected to resume once Arteta returns from his holiday and the season's remaining commitments are fulfilled, per Yahoo Sports.
According to Daily Cannon, Arsenal are expected to push ahead with formal talks this summer, with sources at the club already indicating a desire to have a new deal in place. ESPN adds that the club's next public checkpoint will likely arrive when it formally reopens renewed talks once the campaign has ended.
Does Arteta have enough attacking firepower this season?
Beyond the contract question, Arteta was also pressed on whether his squad has sufficient attacking quality to defend the Premier League title while competing on multiple fronts.
Despite lifting the Premier League and reaching last season's Champions League final, Arteta's side faced criticism for lacking attacking punch, even as pundits praised their defensive solidity throughout the campaign.
Arsenal have brought in Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis to bolster their midfield and attack this summer, having also sold Leandro Trossard to Besiktas.
Beyond those moves, the Gunners retain largely the same group of midfielders and forwards who finished last season, despite having shown interest in Vinicius Junior, Julian Alvarez and Bradley Barcola for their attacking areas.
Asked directly whether he currently has enough firepower up front, Arteta responded:
"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."
