One key Arsenal figure has now made an encouraging statement about his own contract situation after lengthy speculation.
The Arsenal hierarchy face a near-constant battle to keep the most influential figures within the club tied down to deals that secure their future and protect the club itself.
Arsenal have been praised for the improvement in their approach to player contracts. Not so long ago, it was almost routine for the Gunners to lose key players on free transfers, such as Aaron Ramsey.
Alternatively, the North London outfit found themselves shackled to players that were tied down by lengthy and expensive deals, yet had no place in the manager’s plans. Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu were ultimately left having to unceremoniously force the likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the Emirates Stadium due to circumstances such as this.
England legend Stuart Pearce recently admitted that he was saddened by how Ozil’s Arsenal career came to an end. Whilst the German playmaker was for a long time a fairly divisive figure at Arsenal, he was undeniably a world-class player at his best.
Arsenal seem to have learned lessons from their past mistakes, though, and their star players are all now secured with long-term deals. It is now only Arteta’s own contract creating concern amongst the fanbase.
Mikel Arteta addresses his Arsenal contract situation
Arteta, who currently earns £182,692-per-week at Arsenal, as per Wage Indicator, is presently set to be out of contract in the summer of 2025.
It has been said for some time that he is set to sign a new deal with Arsenal, and is happy at the club and still committed to the long-term project he has built at the Emirates Stadium. However, until he puts pen to paper, some supporters will harbour fears that he could be prised away.
Certainly, there has been interest from elsewhere in the Spaniard’s services. At one stage, Barcelona were said to be lining up Arteta as their next manager.
However, the former midfielder himself as how made comments that should ease some fans’ concerns.
Discussing his contract situation with ESPN, Arteta said: “There is no update at the moment. The thing that hasn’t changed is how happy I am and how valued I feel here and how much I love representing this club.
“Things happen in a natural way and our relationship is that good that I don’t predict any issues happening. But things have to develop in the right way and it will happen.”
What is Arsenal manager Arteta doing now?
In the meantime, the Spanish coach’s full focus will be on preparing for the new campaign. Arteta currently has a number of Arsenal players at a training camp in Marbella. Club captain Martin Odegaard recently shared an update on the progress being made there.
Arteta will also be working hard to strengthen his squad via the transfer market. Arsenal have been linked with a host of targets, as the manager plots how to take his team to the next level.
