It has been a positive week for Arsenal off the pitch.
Mikel Arteta signed a new contract until 2030, and now Declan Rice is close to renewing his deal with the Gunners too. They will be looking to take that positivity onto the pitch when they return to Premier League action on Saturday in the early kick-off slot against Leeds United.
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, speaking on Sky Sports, gave his reaction to the Arteta extension, and gave his thoughts on how the mood among supporters will be.
“Yeah, I think all Arsenal fans will be really pleased,” the former Gunners striker said. “Maybe a little relieved. Who knows? I don’t think there was any real suggestion that he was going to go somewhere else, but there’d be no shortage of suitors in the European game. Some of the European giants, I’m sure, would have had their eyes on him because he’s clearly a very talented manager and coach.
Mikel Arteta and Arsene Wenger
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“So yeah, really good news. Gives the club stability and that longevity. You know, you don’t see it much now, do you, in the modern game, at least in the Premier League. So you only achieve that longevity if you’re a success — and he is at the moment, thankfully.”
There was never any serious suggestion Arteta was heading for the exit, but as ‘Smudge’ points out, the suitors would have been there. Jose Mourinho’s pointed comments about Real Madrid’s demands were an example of how elite managers are always being watched from afar. A manager who has won the Premier League, reached the Champions League final and transformed the culture of a club won’t be going unnoticed.
Smith makes a smart point about longevity too. In the modern Premier League, managers rarely last long enough to see a project through to its end. Arteta is by far and away the longest-serving manager in the Premier League, and that continuity is pretty rare in this day and age.