Spaniard Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach, extended his contract with the club for an additional four years, to continue in his position until the summer of 2030, in a move that reflects the desire of both parties to continue the team project during the coming years.
On Wednesday, Arsenal announced the renewal of the contract of its 44-year-old coach, after his previous contract extended until the summer of 2027, and Arteta had last signed a new contract with the club in September 2024.
Arteta said, in statements published on the club’s official website: “It is a great honor to continue my career with the club, and to continue working with exceptional people who want the best for Arsenal.”
He added: “This club is unique, with its personality and the way it makes you feel, and I feel very proud that our journey together will continue. We have already built a special bond and created memories that will stay with us for the rest of our lives, and what is even more exciting is that what we have achieved so far is only the beginning of what we can achieve together.”
The Spanish coach expressed his gratitude to the club's owners, Stan and Josh Kroenke, for their trust and support, stressing that he feels proud to lead Arsenal during an "exceptional period" in the club's 140-year history.
Arteta took over as coach of Arsenal in December 2019, succeeding his compatriot Unai Emery, and last season he succeeded in leading the team to win the English Premier League title for the first time in 22 years.
After winning the title, Josh Kroenke, co-president of the club, described keeping Arteta in his position as a “top priority.”
Arteta also led the team to the Champions League final for only the second time in Arsenal's history last season, before losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.
Arteta has become the longest-serving coach in the top four divisions of English football, and will complete seven years with Arsenal on December 22, 2026.
The team started the current season strong, achieving seven victories in the first eight matches in all competitions, including a victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield. Arsenal currently occupies second place in the league, three points behind leaders Manchester City, after suffering a surprise loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, 3-0, before the international break.
Arsenal is preparing to face Leeds United next Saturday.
Finnish Valtteri Bottas, driver of the Cadillac team, decided to travel a distance of 350 kilometers to travel from the Malaysian Sepang Circuit, which hosted the sixteenth round of the Formula One World Championship on Sunday, to the Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore on a bicycle, instead of traveling by air between the two races.
The Finnish driver began the endurance journey, which will last several days, after his early withdrawal on Sunday from the Malaysian race, which was held under the name of the Bahrain Grand Prix, as a result of the cancellation of the race in Sakhir due to the situation in the Middle East.
Bottas' race did not last long in Sepang, as he lost control of his car due to an error in estimating the quality of the tires on a wet track, and slid into the gravel area, withdrawing after only nine laps, which led to the safety car being initiated.
Bottas explained during the team's post-race review: “Starting on slick tires, with the soft compound, always involved a risk, and today this risk did not pay off.”
Instead of heading directly to Singapore with the rest of the team, Bottas began the first stage of his adventure south towards the Marina Bay Circuit on Sunday evening.
The Finn wrote on the “X” and “Instagram” platforms: “Yes, I will ride my bike to Singapore via less crowded dirt roads.” We will meet there!” He accompanied his post with video clips and photos of him on his gravel bike riding rough and paved paths and roads between Sepang (60 kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur) and the border with Singapore, which is 350 kilometers away, in the far south of Malaysia, amidst stunning landscapes in tropical Southeast Asia.
According to the Strava application dedicated to tracking sports activities, Bottas, a 37-year-old athlete and experienced cyclist, on Sunday evening covered the first stage from Sepang to Port Dickson, a distance of 56 kilometers in just over two hours.
On the second day, he covered about 162 kilometers in 5 hours and 45 minutes, at an average speed of 28 kilometers per hour.
The trip is supposed to take three days, until Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, because Bottas, like all other drivers, is obligated to participate in the media day, which includes press interviews and a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
The Cadillac team explained to Agence France-Presse that the matter was a private “personal activity.”
Marina Bay is a street circuit, and its race will be at night, while the first free trials begin on Friday.
Bottas has been participating in the World Championship since 2013, and has achieved 10 victories and 67 podium finishes. He also finished runner-up to the world champion twice in 2019 and 2020 with Mercedes alongside Briton Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas is considered an experienced cyclist, as he participated in the 2024 World Gravel Championships in Belgium, and is linked to a professional racer in this sport, Australian Tiffany Cromwell.
Harry Kane refused to rule out the possibility of joining Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of all-time international goalscorers, after he scored two goals against the Czech Republic, in a match that witnessed a celebration of him equaling the record for the number of international matches with the England national team, amounting to 125 matches.
The England national team captain equaled former goalkeeper Peter Shilton's record at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, after raising his tally to 91 international goals in a 3-0 win in the fourth round of the European Nations League competition, stressing that he has no intention of retiring in the near future.
Ronaldo, 41 years old, tops the list of all-time international scorers with 146 goals for Portugal.
“We will see how far we can go,” said Kane, England’s all-time top scorer. The difference is still about fifty goals, which is a very large number now, but who knows? “I am in excellent physical condition.”
He added: “I said previously that some of the players I played with continued to play until their late thirties, and some of them are still at the highest levels even in their forties. For me, I go season by season. As long as I feel like I can help the team... I will continue to be there.”
The striker added that equaling former goalkeeper Shelton's record in the number of international appearances with England represents something "beyond my dreams", 11 years after his first appearance.
The German coach of England, Thomas Tuchel, said: “It is wonderful. He deserves the spotlight and praise,” after his team won three out of four matches in the European Nations League during the international break.
Kane (33 years old), who scored just 79 seconds after his international debut in 2015, made it clear that he has always imposed the highest standards on himself.
“I always had great confidence in myself,” he said. I was always ready to put in a greater effort than others, and perhaps more than them... I combined the talent I possess with hard work, self-confidence, and a lot of dedication.”
The former Tottenham player, who is nominated to compete for the Ballon d'Or in London later this month, confirmed that he is still capable of developing despite his great experience.
He said: “I am coming off the best season of my career, and I started this season at the same level I finished last season.”
He added: “I am in a good position now, and all I am thinking about now is pushing myself to the maximum and seeing how far I can go.”
Since his move to Bayern Munich, Kane has reached new levels, after breaking a record that stood for 49 years and becoming the fastest player to score 100 goals in the German League, achieving this in his 98th match in the “Bundesliga”.
He concluded by saying: “I will not stop.” I will continue to work and push forward and see where it takes me. “Maybe after ten years or so, we will know where the ceiling of my ambition was.”
