Mikel Arteta has agreed a long-term contract extension with Arsenal, a deal that carries a hefty pay rise in recognition of his success last season and could take his reign as manager beyond a decade. The Spaniard has reached a verbal agreement to extend his stay for a second time.
Arteta’s current deal, signed in September 2024, runs for three years and expires at the end of this season. Talks have been ongoing since May, when Arsenal ended their long wait to be crowned champions, though negotiations were put on hold during the transfer window. The exact length of the new contract is unknown, but Arteta is expected to commit his future for at least another three years, which would keep him in charge until around 2030.
Arteta took over from Unai Emery in December 2019 and, at 44, is now the Premier League’s longest-serving manager following Pep Guardiola’s departure from Manchester City at the end of last season. Arsenal have been keen to reward him for transforming the club.
His existing terms are believed to be worth about £10m a season, plus a £5m bonus for reaching the Champions League, and the new agreement will cement his status as one of the best-paid managers in the world.
He goes into the new deal on the back of a landmark campaign. As well as leading Arsenal to a first Premier League title since 2004, Arteta guided the club to the Champions League final, which they lost to Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout. The team began this season with seven straight wins in all competitions before a surprise 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Saturday.
Speaking before that Brighton game, Arteta reiterated that he was relaxed about his contract situation. “I think we are all very much aligned,” he said. “Whenever the time is right, we’ll get that done. There is nothing to be concerned about. I think we both have the same ambition and the same will.”
Arsenal are also keen to extend Declan Rice’s contract, with the England midfielder having entered the final two years of his deal. The club are understood to hold an option to extend it by 12 months but would prefer to agree fresh terms, in line with their policy of securing Arteta’s most important players on long-term contracts.