Mikel Arteta Insists He Wants to Stay at Arsenal Amid Contract Talks

Mikel Arteta has moved to calm any nerves around his Arsenal future, insisting he wants to stay at the club as he enters the final year of his contract.

The Spaniard, who delivered Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years back in May, was widely expected to sign a fresh deal soon after that landmark triumph. The new contract has not arrived yet. The questions have.

Arteta’s answer is blunt enough.

“They don’t have to worry about any of that, because I want to be here,” he said, as Arsenal prepare to kick off the 2026-27 season against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday.

“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.”

No drama. No stand-off. At least not from his side.

Contract on ice, transfers on fire

Arteta, who first took the job in 2019 and last signed an extension in 2024, made it clear why talks have not dominated the summer. His energy has gone elsewhere.

“There is always another priority, I think! 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,” he said.

“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.”

Those “other priorities” have been obvious. Arsenal have been busy reshaping a title-winning squad rather than tying up boardroom paperwork.

• Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has arrived to add steel and control in the middle of the pitch.
• Club Brugge forward Christos Tzolis has come in to bolster the attacking options.
• Piero Hincapie’s loan from Bayer Leverkusen has been made permanent.
• Illan Meslier has joined on a free transfer to deepen the goalkeeping department.

Not every chase ended with a handshake. Moves for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior went nowhere, a reminder that even champions don’t always get what they want in a window where Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea have each thrown £100 million at single signings.

Doing it “the Arsenal way”

Arteta, though, is not rattled by the noise or the numbers around him.

“I am really happy with the squad, the players that I have and I am really happy with the ambition of the club,” he said. Arsenal have been linked with Villa defender Ezri Konsa and Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah as they continue to assess defensive options, but the manager’s message is consistent.

“There is zero question about that and we have shown that in the manner we have tried to act, 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 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.”

So the contract talk can wait. The Community Shield is coming, the title defence looms, and Arteta sounds exactly where he wants to be — right in the middle of it.