Arsenal's Mikel Arteta Set for New Contract Confirmation

The wait, it seems, is almost over.

Arsenal CEO Tim Lewis Garlick has delivered the update every Arsenal supporter wanted to hear, confirming that Mikel Arteta is on the brink of committing his future to the club. The manager, who ended the Gunners’ 20-year wait for a Premier League title last season, is into the final year of the deal he signed in 2024 – but there is no sense of panic at the Emirates.

Inside the club, the mood is calm. Arsenal view a new contract for Arteta as a formality, not a fight. While the summer has been dominated by transfer business and preparations for a title defence, the paperwork to secure the Spaniard’s long-term stay is now close to being signed off.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Garlick cut through any lingering speculation. He stressed that both sides are aligned and that there is no friction behind the scenes, echoing Arteta’s own recent comments about how “extremely happy” and “very grateful” he feels working at a club he has reshaped from top to bottom.

“Mikel wants to be at Arsenal and we want Mikel at Arsenal. It’s only a matter of time before we put that into a new contract. Everyone is very confident and calm. We’re just navigating a transfer window and I’m sure Mikel’s contract will be resolved very shortly,” Garlick said.

Arteta’s tenure has transformed Arsenal from a drifting, uncertain side into the standard-bearer of English football. Last season’s Premier League title, wrestled away from a Manchester City machine that had dominated the division, delivered the club’s first league crown since the Invincibles of 2004. He then drove the North London club all the way to the Champions League final, a run that underlined Arsenal’s return to the top tier of European contenders.

Now comes the hard part: staying there.

Arsenal head into another demanding campaign with the expectation that those levels must not drop. Arteta has been clear with his squad – evolution is non-negotiable. He has spoken repeatedly about the need to withstand the physical grind and mental strain of competing for the Premier League while going deep in the Champions League again.

For the 42-year-old, the imminent contract is more than a pay rise or a line on a CV. It is a statement that the culture he has built at London Colney is the club’s future. Since taking over, he has ripped up an ageing core, moved on big-name veterans and backed a younger, hungrier group that has grown into champions.

That bet has paid off. Now Arsenal want to double down.

The mood around the Emirates reflects that belief. As the Gunners prepare to launch their title defence at home to Coventry City on Friday night, there is an air of assurance rather than anxiety. Their commanding Community Shield performance only reinforced the sense that this team, and this manager, are not satisfied with one great season.

Arteta looks set to be tied down. The real question is how far this version of Arsenal can go under him.