Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are five wins from history.
They are top of the Premier League, and well-positioned for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid today.
The coming weeks will determine whether Arsenal’s campaign finishes in disappointment or triumph — haunted by more chants of “second again”, or celebrating unprecedented success. After Manchester City’s 3-3 draw against Everton last night, Arsenal may feel that long-awaited Premier League title is closer than ever.
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But regardless, these games shouldn’t determine Arteta’s future. Arsenal have their manager. The club are right to pursue a new contract — trophies or no trophies.
Talks are still in their early stages. When Arsenal first approached Arteta’s representatives earlier this year, the manager’s preference was to defer until the end of the season.
On the face of it, that would make sense for all parties. Arteta’s current deal runs until 2027, so there is no immediate time pressure. A campaign can only be wholly assessed at its conclusion. Come the end of May, Arsenal and 44-year-old Arteta will know the final outcome of both the Premier League and Champions League — and who holds the leverage in negotiations.
But Arsenal recognise they cannot afford to park the issue entirely. The manager’s last contract was signed in September 2025, but took several months to broker. There was significant back-and-forth before agreement was reached on a basic salary of £12million, rising to £15million with bonuses. Such high-value negotiations tend to take time. With that in mind, relaxed dialogue has continued between Arsenal and Arteta’s camp.
In making the first move, Arsenal have effectively signalled their intention: they want to keep Arteta.
That position is easy to justify. Arsenal have won 40 of their 58 games this season. Beat Atletico on Tuesday, and they match a club record for victories in a single season set in 1970-1971. Arteta has not only restored Arsenal to the Champions League, but made them competitive in the competition’s latter stages.
A hat-trick of second-place Premier League finish — while easy for rival supporters to mock — is evidence of consistency at the highest level. Maintaining that standard over multiple seasons is rare in a league defined by volatility.
Under Arteta, Arsenal have progressed from a rebuilding project to genuine contenders, both domestically and in Europe. That trajectory matters more than the outcome of any single campaign.
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In a league beset by instability, sticking with Arteta is the sensible move. Stability, in this context, is a competitive advantage. Across the Premier League, managerial churn and squad transitions remain common. By contrast, Arsenal have constructed something coherent: a clear tactical identity, a young core, and a manager aligned with the club’s long-term vision.
What rivals can say the same? Manchester City may lose Pep Guardiola, and there is also the outstanding issue of the 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations (which they deny) to be resolved. Arne Slot’s future at Liverpool is the subject of considerable debate. Even if Slot stays, he faces something of a rebuild as Liverpool reckon with the departure of Mohamed Salah.
Chelsea have just sacked Liam Rosenior after 106 days in the job. Manchester United do not yet have a permanent manager, even if Michael Carrick looks increasingly likely to win the position. Tottenham have a new coach in Roberto De Zerbi, but are currently preoccupied with the prospect of relegation rather than challenging for major honours.
With so many clubs facing a potential summer of transition, stability and continuity could be Arsenal’s greatest asset. Whatever the outcome this month, no team seems better positioned to go again next year.
Arsenal’s approach to last summer’s transfer window suggested their owners recognise that now is the moment to push for silverware. They have a talented group of players, and a manager they believe in. KSE have shown with their other franchises an ability to recognise the right time to invest and turn potential into prizes.
But the opportunity does not end this summer. That ‘win now’ window is likely to remain open for the next few years. The likes of Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel have recently committed to long-term deals. There is no current member of the Arsenal first-team squad with a contract which expires this summer. The core of this group appear set to remain together for a little while yet.
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Arsenal could of course opt to let Arteta’s deal run into its final season. That would be a mistake: a season undermined by rumours about the manager’s future is not in anyone’s interests.
Allowing Arteta’s contract to run down would invite speculation and distraction, undermining a season that demands clarity of purpose. For a club in Arsenal’s position, ambiguity is unnecessary and avoidable.
Arteta’s detractors point out that he has not lifted a piece of major silverware since 2020, when he won the FA Cup in his first season as Arsenal manager. If his team do fall short this season, some will cite that as the final proof that Arteta is not the man to take Arsenal forward.
The greatest danger is if Arteta himself begins to believe that. Should Arsenal suffer the double disappointment of missing out on the Premier League and Champions League, the highly self-critical Spaniard may have doubts over whether to continue.
Should that be the case, it will be incumbent on those around Arteta to pick him up, and persuade him he can go again. He has had to do it before. He may have to do it again. Losing him at short notice would leave Arsenal’s hierarchy wrestling with the question of how to replace him. There are not many obvious upgrades out there.
If however Arteta can deliver the Premier League or Champions League, it will surely end any prevailing debate among supporters.
Within Arsenal, a consensus has presumably already been reached.
Arteta is their man. It would be absurd for the next four (or five) games to determine the fate of a manager who has spent six years dragging Arsenal to the brink of glory.
