Unless you are living under a rock with no access to light, cable TV and internet, you must have heard that Arsenal gaffer, Mikel Arteta, has signed a new contract extension at Arsenal.
When Arteta took over in December 2019 when Unai Emery sent the club into the trenches, Arsenal finished in eighth place with 56 points but after his first full season at the club, Arteta finished in eighth place with 61 points, and the progression continued as Arsenal narrowly lost out of Champions League qualification, finishing in fifth place with 69 points.
Then there were last two campaigns – two back to back second place finishes with Arteta’s men finishing with 84 and 89 points. Arsenal has made massive progress both on and off the pitch and you can see that everyone is on the same page regarding the plans for the future. The connection with the fans has never been better and the Emirates is turning into a fortress as teams receive some massive whoppings here – Manchester City lost to a narrow defeat, Manchester United shipped in three goals, Liverpool shipped in three and Chelsea saw five.
Last season was really amazing, as Arteta led Arsenal to the club’s most Premier League wins, 28, which was more than the Invincibles of 2004 (26), the most Premier League goals scored, 91, which exceeded the record of 88 goals scored in the previous season, and the club’s highest ever overall win rate in the Premier League, 67.3 percent. Arteta was also nominated for Premier League Manager of the Month on seven occasions, winning it in February 2024, which was the seventh in his Arsenal career.
Arteta also revealed his enjoyment working alongside the club’s staff as part of the reasons he decided to stick around for a little longer,
“It goes to the staff around the club, the energy that they bring and the dedication, love and passion for the game to get better. That inspires me and gives me energy and joy every single time I come into the building.
“Then it’s down to the players. I see a smile on their faces every day when they come in, and a will to get better. My only objective is to get the best out of them, improve their lives and make sure that we educate them as human beings in the best possible way, and make sure that they fulfil their talent and potential. If that is the case, we’re going to be very successful as a team.
“And then Edu as well – he was the first one to knock on my door before I joined and he made a big call to put all the trust he had in me to drive this massive boat in the direction and the way we both had a vision to do it, and it’s been pivotal. Our relationship has been incredibly strong, very honest, very transparent and I’m very grateful for that”
Arteta also has the best win percentage with 59 percent, higher than the legendary Arsene Wenger among others. The timing of this announcement is perfect, with Arsenal going into the North London Derby with Declan Rice suspended and Martin Odegaard injured. This should serve as a boost for the club and the players, who would want to celebrate the new contract with a vital win over the arch-rivals, Tottenham.
I am glad Arteta will remain at the club for the foreseeable future, and with the support system he currently has in place, he will want to reward the faith of the Arsenal hierarchy with silverware, with the Holy Grail being winning the club’s first Premier League title in 20 years. Arsenal is a club that is very ambitious and trophies are the best way of proving much improvement has been made. Based on how consistently the lads performed last season, 89 points would have been enough to deliver the Premier League title but there was the Manchester City juggernaut to contend with, and so far, Arteta has fallen short on two occasions.
The Arsenal gaffer will be hoping to be third time lucky this season, even though he still needs to do his part – win Premier League games consistently.
Sayonara.
