Mikel Arteta On Potential Contract Talks: ‘That Will Happen Naturally, If It Has To’

Mikel Arteta coy on a potential extension…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta remained calm on any talks regarding his contract with just 18 months left on his current agreement, the Spaniard told the press ahead of our clash at Nottingham Forest.

Arteta was forced to dispel a pathetic rumour emanating out of Barcelona which threw his long-term future into doubt for a matter of hours.

While the boss will not be walking out this summer, the club will be keen to prevent him from running down towards the final 12 months of his contract.

Arteta’s last extension came in April 2022, a contract we later came to know was offered to the 41-year-old following a run of three consecutive Premier League defeats.

Some claimed the timing of that contract wasn’t right given that we ultimately failed to qualify for the Champions League, but Arteta has since proved that theory wrong.

“I’ve got a strong relationship with the board, with Edu, the team, with ownership,” Arteta said when asked about the status of his contractual position.

“Things come in a natural way and we’ve always done it that way and it’s been done really well. When the time is right we’ll have those discussions and I’ll think about the best way to do that.”

When pushed on if he’s held any talks about extending his stay, Arteta said: “No, we haven’t, but this is something that would happen naturally when it has to happen, if it has to happen, and that’s it.”

Arteta may not be able to utter it publicly, but his power within the hierarchy is so strong that I imagine he’s already got a contract extension ready to sign at his discretion.

The former Gunners skipper has spoken about the ‘project’ so much that he’s now become the project. With all our stars extending their contracts for many years on the basis of working with Arteta, I expect him to do the same – and soon.