Sportsupdated 1h ago3 min read
Mikel Arteta Signs New Arsenal Contract Until 2030 With Premier League Champions
Arsenal announce Mikel Arteta signs new contract to stay until 2030. Deal was due to expire at end of this season.
Arteta stays until 2030
Arsenal announced that manager Mikel Arteta has signed a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal that will keep him at the Emirates until 2030. Arteta said, "It’s a privilege to commit my future to the club and to continue to work with exceptional people who want the best for Arsenal," and he added, "We have already built a special bond and created memories that will last a lifetime, and what is so exciting is that this is only the beginning of what we can achieve together." The Spaniard’s deal had been due to expire at the end of the current season, and Arteta began his Arsenal reign in December 2019.
Arteta has overseen their return to the top of English football, winning the club’s first league title in 22 years last season, and he led the Gunners to their first Champions League final in two decades last season. Arsenal return to Premier League action with a home match against Leeds on Saturday, with the club currently second in the Premier League, three points behind leaders Manchester City after a surprise 3-0 defeat by Brighton before the international break.
Pay, bonuses, and context
BBC Sport said Arteta’s deal was set to expire at the end of this season, and it said his time in charge now possibly stretches to a decade following his arrival in December 2019. BBC Sport reported that the new contract includes an increase from his current salary of £10m per year plus an additional £5m in bonuses, and it said Arteta lost the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in May. Arteta’s contract renewal also came with a club message from co-chairmen Stan and Josh Kroenke, who said, "It has been an incredible journey so far and we are excited for what lies ahead in this special relationship."
The Kroenke co-chairmen added, "We’re determined to create many more in the years ahead," and they said the club shares a special bond with Mikel and is proud of everything achieved since he returned in 2019. Arteta’s extension commits his stay at the Emirates Stadium until the end of the 2029-30 season, and it is understood that he has the highest salary in the Premier League.
What the renewal signals
Arsenal framed the renewal as a continuation of its project, with the club saying in a statement, "The new agreement reflects our shared conviction that the progress made and last season’s success mark the beginning of a special era in our history." Arteta told the club he was grateful to Stan and Josh Kroenke, saying, "I am extremely grateful to Stan and Josh for their trust and support, and feel honoured to be leading this club through such a special period in its 140-year history." The moment was presented with a 140-year-old Arsenal heirloom, as CEO Richard Garlick presented Arteta with his new contract in an antique wooden box linked to the club’s formation in 1886.
The box’s story began when Dial Square Cricket Club, a works cricket team within the Royal Arsenal Ordnance in Woolwich, commemorated the end of their season with a ’smoking concert’ on October 4 at the Prince of Wales public house in Plumstead Common. The club’s return to Premier League action comes after its title-winning season, and Arteta’s new contract keeps him at the Emirates until 2030 as the club looks ahead to what it called the next stage of its journey.