Mikel Arteta is here to stay after signing a new contract with Arsenal until 2030.
The boss has led the Gunners to memorable wins during his tenure. The FA Cup win in 2020, the 4-1 North London derby wins home and away last season, and smashing Manchester City 5-1 after years of struggles against his old mentor all come to mind.
There is also, of course, the Champions League victories over Real Madrid from the 2024-25 campaign, where Arsenal swept the European giants aside at the Emirates winning 3-0, before winning at the Bernabeu. The home leg in particular sticks in the mind, where Declan Rice’s unbelievable double free-kick heroics gave Arsenal a 2-0 lead before a superb finish from Mikel Merino capped it off.
Speaking to The Athletic, Arteta was asked whether he would rather relive that dominant win or the nail-biting 1-0 squeeze over West Ham in May. Fans will remember how sickeningly tense that afternoon at the London Stadium was, with the Premier League title hopes hanging by a thread until the final whistle.
Mikel Arteta and Arsene Wenger
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“The West Ham game,” Arteta said, with a ‘twinkle in his eye’, The Athletic write. Of course, the West Ham game was nothing like the electrifying Madrid win. It was excruciating. The Hammers set up in a resolute low block and barely gave Arsenal a sniff for over 80 minutes. The tension was unbearable.
Then, with the game seemingly going nowhere, Mateus Fernandes went in on goal and looked certain to score, before David Raya made that crucial reaction save with his thigh to keep the scores level. Of course, five minutes later, thanks to some wonderfully intricate combination play from Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard scored the winner and the away end erupted.
But Arsenal fans were not done suffering. Deep into stoppage time, West Ham scrambled the ball into the net from a corner, only for VAR to rule it out after an agonisingly long pitchside review, correctly judging that Raya had been impeded. Arsenal held on for three vital points and Arteta was sure the title was theirs.
“This is football elevated to its best version, when a journey, a moment that can change so many people’s lives, goes one way or the other,” Arteta said. “You just pray because you know if it goes the wrong side, probably it’s gone again.
“That day when I went home, I said, ‘We’re going to be champions. It is our year. This has happened for a reason, and we’re going to get it done’.”
That tells you everything about how Mikel Arteta thinks about football, and why Arsenal are in such safe hands until 2030.