We’re anticipating Arsenal to go all out this summer and close some headline deals this summer, which could lead them to have another impressive league campaign next season.
There are talks of potential signings of a striker, a top midfielder, a left back, and a backup for Saka. Players such as Joshua Zirkzee, Alexander Isak, Benjamin Sesko, Bruno Guimaraes, Martin Zubimendi, Nico Williams, and Ferdi Kadioglu are linked to these transfer needs.
Even so, if you ask me, the most important thing Arsenal could do this summer is secure Mikel Arteta with a new long-term contract, a major move for the club.
Arteta’s work at the Emirates Stadium is quite impressive. He took charge of Arsenal when they were in 15th place, and in the last two seasons, he’s managed to lead them to two consecutive runner-up finishes in the title race. In both instances, Arsenal had a strong chance of winning the league, but unfortunately, luck was not on their side. Maybe next season he’ll finally get his hands on the PL trophy.
That being said, it seems like we all can agree that the Gooners would be thrilled to hear that Mikel Arteta has signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal this summer. It would definitely be major transfer news for the fans.
Lots of clubs are looking to replicate Arsenal’s Arteta project. I wouldn’t be surprised if some even attempted to entice the Spaniard to join them, especially since it’s common knowledge that his contract expires next summer. Manchester City might consider hiring a new head coach next summer, and Arteta could be a potential candidate.
Hopefully, before they try to sign him, Arteta will have committed to Arsenal for the long term.
Sam P
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Right decision, but too much faith to give him parity with what Pep earns. 8.3mil to 20m is a big hike, and while he is one of the best young coaches, he has not achieved anything to command it just yet.
He has got enough backing and won only a single FA Cup to show for it.
He has not boosted our bench players value to sell on for big profits. Has not learnt rotation beyond 14 players just yet.
What happens if Pep wins again, and teams around us get stronger this year? We will be struck with him for years to come. Or take loss to cancel the contract as we have been doing with all our top earners.
Other teams using him as their template shows he is doing something great with the team.
It will definitely take time to turn Arsenal to Man city but we will definitely get there.
funkyrith, where did parity with what Pep earns come from ?
Bro you are not getting it.l its better to commit him and even waste money than to loose him to another team. Its very Important for him to finish the building. We should nt worry about this money. Na result matter. And we have all been happy with the progress ..
Mikel’s current contract runs until June 25 – that’s another full season, meaning he will have been at the helm for nearly five seasons.
I can’t see him wanting to go elsewhere, at least until he has completed his “phase” work and I suggest a further contract up and until June 26 would do that.
Any salary increase could be linked to the results during that period and THEN we offer him the bumper contract.
Arteta said the other day: “I have to thank all the players, coaching staff and everybody involved at the football club for making my days so enjoyable, so inspiring and for supporting me in this journey that we started four years ago that hopefully is going to take us right to the top to win many trophies.”
“We’ve been building for a few years and right now we have a team that is full of enthusiasm, and so hungry to win trophies. We know the competition, but we believe we can do it, so we’re going to give it a real go.”
Does that sound like he’ll be leaving any time soon?
👍 So why the rush?
Would if Arteta commits himself to a new long term contract at Arsenal from now till next summer, when his current contract with the club will expire, stop Man City from hiring him if Giardiola leaves next summer,, and they want him?
I think if the scenario as above does play out to script. It will be Arteta who will have a decision to make on whether to stay with Arsenal or leave for Man City.
Samuel, I’ve been thinking the same. When Pep leaves (the sinking ship) after next season, Arteta is likely to be one of the favourites to succeed him, although I would imagine the reputational damage of being associated with such a club would be a big minus.
Arteta should stay for a few seasons at least because the current team is built on him and Edu ideas and not many option for a world class coach available atm. Credit to him too as he has done a great job and making Arsenal competitive again. Havertz will be getting better as a cf so it’s wiser sticking with him as the main striker next season. Happy for him getting the doubters wrong. Jesus as cover for him and on both wings. Should be giving chance to Mika Biereth too. This lad style of play suits the team game. Seeing something special bout this boy and has the potential to be a very good forward. Underrated academy talent. Hope the deal for Ferdi kadioglu is real. Splendid inverted fb and will definitely gelling well with the team and of course will help Martineili getting back on track. What a signing Rice was. I was sceptical at first but happy he’s gotten me wrong. Just need a top dm because Rice is so much better as a b2b although still hoping for Partey to stay fit and not passes his peak yet. So excited for next season.
I think it’s a possibility that he could go to Spain next Season or a “bigger ” club
Would we say that if he finishes second again ?
Suddenly then you wouldn’t mind the idea of Man City having the manger who gets over the line ?
Man City have that Pep factor.. Without Pep I think we would have won the league in the last 2 seasons. I do believe thatPep alone is worth a few extra points to City just for his presence / psychologically etc..
Many top managers have come and gone from the EPL since he joined, but they all couldn’t keep up with him.. He is a juggernaut.. You need to be near perfect to overtake him.
But we are trying.
Let’s see how he performs next season. Other than in the EPL, we were at best average in the other cup competitions. Even in the UCL, during arguably our best form in a long while, we lost to the weakest Bayern in a long while. How, then, can we hope to overcome them or other stronger opponents at their best and win the UCL? If Arteta can’t compete on all fronts next season and win a major trophy, then we’ll need to seriously evaluate our objectives as a club and whether he is the best person to achieve them. At the end of the day, based on Arsenal’s stature, progress without trophies and titles is meaningless.
I therefore believe our most important signing wouldn’t be Mikel’s contract extension but a top striker (if we can find one).
“other than the EPL” and first season back quarter finals of CL
if you can’t see the trajectory Arsenal is on and be loving every minute of it that is sad
suppose you better start supporting Man U if a trophy is more important, I would never trade Arteta and what he has achieved for us over basket-case in decline that is Man U
Why should he go support Man Utd ?
Nothing wrong in what he posted he made some valid points ,and trophies are the end goal for any football team .
@Dan Kit
Trophies are not the end goal to for any team to be honest. For the lucky clubs at the Top tiers of the leagues then I can understand. But football is more than just trophies. It’s more about a sense of community, pride, rivalry, Ups and Downs, trophies, banter etc.. I think it’s more about the Journey than the Destination as long as their is some sort if progress and proper purpose..
Some of us are lucky to be fans of clubs that already have a history of success. But for example: What about all the clubs in England outside of Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, City etc? The mid table clubs (Yo Yo clubs), Championship clubs, League One clubs, League two clubs, Conference, non league clubs etc? Most of those clubs will and have never tasted the EPL, CL, Europa, FA Cup, League Cup etc. So then what do they do knowing very well that they ain’t got a chance in hell for any trophies in their lifetime? For example, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Brentford, Bournemouth, West Brom, Conventry, Sheffield, etc. I can go on.
So what’s in it for them? Just making it into the EPL for a season or so and hope for the best. Non of the Fulham fans keep going on about “Winning trophies is the be and end all”.
So I do think in general the Big Traditional clubs in their respective countries have been spoilt. We lost that sense of reality and we believe we are entitled to trophies..
Goonster :
I can’t see anywhere in the replies, where it’s been said that we’re “entitled” to trophies.
Apart from that, I agree with much of what you have written and the classic example must be our noisy neighbours from Middlesex or even those city fans who were supporting their club when it was floundering in the third tier, yet still getting 30,000 supporters.
I would much rather be in our position than manure for example, following this seasons results – I tend to look at the long term vision and, in my opinion, we are so much better than ANY other PL club.
@Ken
But someone doesn’t have to actually use a particular “Term” for someone else to get the gist of the point they are trying to make.. Just because I don’t use a specific term in a comment I make does not mean you can’t interpret it and come close to what I am trying to insinuate. And also going by the history and comments about “We are a big club, so we should be winning trophies”.
Someone doesn’t have to use the term “Entitled” in that comment for me to conclude that that’s entitlement. Isn’t it? Direct and Indirect Speech, right?
And yeah, the Middlesex. Lol.
But even without them winning anything they still stay loyal to their embarassing club. Lol
I do go onto their Fans Forums here and there each season. It’s really sad the way they hate us. During their recent game against Man City, the vast vast majority where praying and hoping to lose to them so that we didn’t win the title. And the few who disagreed were absolutely pelted and labelled as “Not Real Spurs fans” for wanting a Spurs win against City. Lol
They are also very desperate for any type of trophy. For the last few seasons they keep saying “If we can win even one Domestic Cup or Europa league then that will be enough for us to marinate on for the next 10 seasons or more. Please Daniel Levy, win any us any trophy and we will not bother you for a few more years.”
🤣🤣
Good points Goonster
There are clearly a number of fans who seem to believe that they entitled to a trophy and this is main reason some remain highly critical of Arteta.
The fact that a fan suggests that progress “without trophies” is meaningless says it all.
Evidently, there needs to be regular evaluation of objectives and progress. Trophies should be part of the evaluation however they shouldn’t be the only criteria.
David, David, David. If we were not spending money like it has gone out of fashion and we (i think) want to be an elite club. I woukd agree with you. BUT unlike what someone wrote on one of the articles, ALL clubs want to win trophies and major titles. Only some are funded to do so. And we are.
We are now funded well enough to compete but we are not funded better than a number of other clubs. In terms of setting standards, reestablishing a consistently effective playing style and recruitment we have been playing catch up over the last few years.
We are now at a level where we expect to be able to hold our own against any team in Europe. We are better placed to win trophies but the fact remains that there are other strong teams that we are competing against in the PL and CL.
Cup runs are different from the other major competitions as there are more variables that can affect outcomes. Our EFL performances for example have provided some evidence that our squad depth is insufficient to mount challenges on multiple fronts against top level opposition.
So what’s new then David?
Just the fact that the owners are backing the manager – where as before they didn’t and we still had to compete and be judged against those teams.
David, we are one of THE top spenders. Stop finding excuses. Have you NO ambitions. If Arteta is good enough, there is no argument. If he isn’t there is.
And David, I dont speak as an Arteta fan but an Arsenal fan. I don’t care who is manager as long as he is winning Leagues or as we should be now CL. Arteta just works for our club and its his job to win things. Ask him and he will tell you the same.
Arteta’s two most valuable assistants, Albert Stevenberg and Carlos Cuesta have also attracted interest from Feyenoord & Norwich, so ideally they should be offered new improved contracts.
Someone else has got the Norwich job Jax – on the radio earlier this afternoon
Good news Sue.
…although I’m sure Delia would have taken good care of him.
Yeah I think it’s important for the club to extend Arteta’s contract. Over the last week we’ve seen a remarkable turnover of coaches all across Europe. The fact that a novice like Kompany got the Bayern job tells me lots of the big teams are desperate for quality managers in a market with shortage of quality.
If any of the top clubs sensed uncertainty in Mikel’s future at Arsenal,they’ll try to sign him up given his growing reputation. That could be a blow to us if it happens because this team is built in his image. It is key that he stays until he reaps the fruits of the work he’s done with this team.
Stability and a sense of continuity is the hallmark of teams that dominate for years as we’ve seen with Fergie,Wenger,Pep and Klopp. The frequent turnover of coaches that we’ve seen recently at Chelsea and United can hinder progress. I believe this team under Arteta can be dominant for years.
My only fear about having a single manager in charge for a very long time is that on leaving, the boots are rather big to fill. It has happened to Utd and to an extent at Arsenal. It will be interesting to see how Slot gets on.
Under Abramovitch, the turnover was frequent, but he was ruthless in bringing in the best and giving them the chop when results were iffy – only to bring in another top man.
You make valid points. Having a long serving manager comes with its cons.
Get Arteta signed up as soon as possible. He’s rebuilt the playing side of the club, and I would say that he’s on the brink of winning trophies.
Personally,I would sit him down and tell him, if he wins the league or CL next season, he can have the highest salary in the league. If he doesn’t then that would be over 5 years at the club and probably will never happen, so then a different story. Reward success.
Both Reggie and HD make excellent points.
I really don’t believe Mikel wants to be anywhere else and I refer back to the well dicunebted scenes when city scored against us while he was Peps assistant.
He refused to celebrate the goals and, if that’s not showing his feelings for The Arsenal, I don’t know what else he can do.
I see the fact that MA has taken us back into the CL, as success and finishing second to city115 as yet another sign of the progress made on the field of play.
It’s our showing in the domestic cups that is disappointing and, if we’re honest, the main chance of winning a trophy.
So I tend to go down Reggie’s line of thought for all the reasons above – but if we don’t win anything next season Reggie, what would you THEN recommend??
Ken, OT, but have you seen my new post on the Season Ticket thread ?
I have HD and, while it is a big increase, along with games being taken away, there is the fact that this is the first increase in over four years (?).
As we both know, season tickets are like gold dust, unlike in the 50’s and 60’s and when one could also just turn up at the turnstiles and pay then.
I believe the council have refused the club from increasing the Emirates capacity, so the only way to get more fans in would be to have s/t standing areas – am I correct in that viewpoint?
Ken, it’s not an increase, it’s a brand new one. Half a million pounds a year 😲
With a reported 90,000 on the waiting list HD, demand outweighs everything.
My daughter has just renewed hers, says she can’t afford it, but can’t afford not to either
Short and curlies comes to mind!!
Ken, I am of the opinion that 5 and a half seasons is by far long enough to make a definitive decision on a manager. Is he capable of being upto Klopp or Pep level? If he is pay him. If he isn’t get someone in who can turn the investment into trophies. And I dont mean Cariboo cup. I mean win one of the big prizes. League or CL. Are we happy with CL every year? We shouldn’t be because we are spending in a different ball park than ever before. Do we see ourselves as an elite club? Or are we just pretending. Artetas stamp either works or it doesn’t. He has potential but can he deliver on that. I for one have always had doubts. We can’t and shouldn’t wait too long to find out he can’t. Win something next season and prove you are the real deal and not a pretender.
Reggie, who else is up to the standard of Pep or Klopp?
Chelsea, spuds, Bayern etc have all tried to find managers who would challenge either of them and failed.
I believe MA has certainly been on par with Klopp these last two seasons and very very close to knocking Pep off his perch.
MA has had to deal with an awful lot of problems, some being of his own making I always point out, but these last two seasons have seen tremendous strides both on and off the pitch.
I agree with you that MA needs to have a target to be judged against and your suggestion about bringing silverware to the table and the promise of a top contract if achieved, is a great idea.
But I cannot think of anyone apart from Pep and Mikel, who, at this moment in time, could take our club any higher – can you?
Ken, I have said it before. He knows how to win games but unlike Pep and Klopp, he hasnt mastered winning the ones that count. Thats why our cup runs are so poor. Our set up is not right. Top managers know how to win trophies. Its in them. Until he wins one with his way, he wull never be up with Klopp and Pep.
But Reggie, you haven’t answered my question who would you replace him with?
Did Pep win the fa cup final this season?
Did Klopp win the PL this season?
Just like Arteta, they lost important games and all managers do.
Pep has been a manager for over a decade, as has Klopp and Arteta managing to rival them these last two seasons is testiment to his learning curve, despite those dire first two and a half seasons?
Now, who would you replace him with?
Not an easy answer and I could name a few obvious ones. We missed Ancelotti and another manager next year may be a league CL winner. But obvious names, like, Zidane, Anorim and Gasperini. Like I told someone the other day Ken, it isn’t my job. The point is how many years do we wait to see if Arteta can step up and win a league or CL. Or do we keep saying, lets give him some leeway because he can’t ever be expected to be as good as Pep or Klopp?
Also, how long are we going to be happy with CL fodder or top 4 league team. Is that ambitious?
I accept it’s not our job to find another manager Reggie, but if one says that MA, if he doesn’t win trophies, needs to go, then we should have an idea who could, reasonably, be thought off to replace him.
At the moment, I can’t put anyone forward myself and I wouldn’t want Pep or klopp either.
I do believe that MA has made great strides these last two seasons and that’s why I think he will bring success and I also agree that any contract talks should be after he has improved on the season just gone.