Arteta Relaxed on Contract, Focused on Arsenal's Title Defense

Mikel Arteta has said he is relaxed about his Arsenal contract expiring at the end of the new season and believes his side will need to be better than last year to defend their title successfully. The Premier League champions will face Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City in the Community Shield in Cardiff on Sunday and are heavy favourites to win back-to-back league titles for the first time since the 1930s. The departure of Pep Guardiola from their traditional rivals City means Arteta is now the Premier League’s longest-serving manager, with the Spaniard having joined in December 2019. He signed a three-year contract extension in September 2024 after Arsenal finished as runners-up to City and had been expected to agree a new deal over the summer that would make him one of the highest-paid managers in the world. Arteta acknowledged on Friday that his priorities have been elsewhere this summer as he attempts to strengthen his squad before the new season but reassured supporters that he is fully committed to the club. “They don’t have to worry about any of that, because I want to be here. I am extremely happy. I feel very grateful to work with the people that I work with and when we have the possibility, we will resolve that. And that’s it,” he said. Asked if he expects talks over a new contract to continue after the transfer window, Arteta added: “There is always another priority, I think. And that’s the way we have been treating it, I think because everybody feels comfortable that the time on the contract is not going to be an issue. I think because my will, certainly, is to be here and I am very happy here. My feeling from the club is the same one. That is why everyone is doing things in a really organic way.” Arsenal have opened negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen over a move for Jarell Quansah as they seek cover for William Saliba and Jurriën Timber, while they are still in the market for another attacker if they can offload Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus. After missing out on Vinícius Júnior when the Brazil forward opted to sign a new deal with Real Madrid, Arteta defended Arsenal’s strategy this summer and is hoping that they can still add to their squad. “I am really happy with the squad, the players that I have and I am really happy with the ambition of the club. There is zero question about that. We have shown that in the manner we have tried to act,” he said. “But I think we need to do it our own way. We have super strengths and we have other areas we need to be very conscious [of] because we don’t have the elements or the structure that other clubs have. We need to do it our way. We are always on it that way and we will do what we believe is the right thing to do. To have the best possibility to compete in every competition that’s for sure.” Arteta added: “We’re going to prepare to elevate our level, expecting that the rest will do the same. That’s traditionally what happened in the league in the last few years, and that’s the way we have planned the season, and the way we want to evolve the team.”