Mikel Arteta's contract extension at Arsenal is now expected to go ahead regardless of whether the club complete a historic league and European double this season, with the club's board understood to have made clear their commitment to the Spaniard following what has been the most successful campaign in the post-Wenger era.
Arteta's current deal runs until the summer of 2027 and discussions over an extension were deliberately paused until the end of the season. Those talks are now expected to restart this summer, with sources suggesting the club are prepared to offer a deal running to 2029 — a commitment that would lock in the manager through to his seventh full season at the club.
What changes after Budapest
Arsenal's Champions League final appearance against PSG on May 30 has changed the conversation entirely. Prior to the semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid, David Ornstein of The Athletic had warned of "difficult conversations" if the club ended the season without silverware. That scenario now appears unlikely regardless of the Premier League outcome, with a Champions League final appearance on its own representing a landmark moment in the club's modern history.
Arteta himself acknowledged the shift in mood when speaking after the Atletico victory.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, said:
"Everybody can feel a shift in energy, in belief, in everything. Let's use it in the right way and understand that the margins and the difficulty of what we are trying to achieve are huge, but we have the ability and the conviction to do it."
Reports suggest Arteta is seeking assurances of continued financial backing from the board — specifically around summer recruitment — rather than a significant pay increase as the primary condition of extension. Sporting director Andrea Berta is understood to be aligned with Arteta's vision for the rebuild, making those assurances relatively straightforward to provide.
