Mikel Arteta set to extend Arsenal stay with new long-term deal

Mikel Arteta has agreed a new long-term contract with Arsenal after overseeing a transformation that has taken the club from a difficult period outside of the Premier League’s elites to champions of England.

The Spaniard had entered the final year of his previous agreement at the Emirates Stadium, but Arsenal have now moved to secure his future following a 2025/26 season in which the Gunners won their first Premier League title in 22 years and reached the UEFA Champions League Final.

Arteta’s new deal comes almost seven years after he first returned to north London as manager in December 2019. At that point Arsenal were sitting 10th in the Premier League, had recently dismissed Unai Emery and were attempting to find a route back towards the top of English football.

Arteta inherited an Arsenal side in transition

The Arsenal squad Arteta took charge of looked very different from the one now competing for major honours.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were among the most important attacking players, while Mesut Özil remained one of the highest-profile names at the club. David Luiz, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi were among the defensive options available, with Granit Xhaka also an established figure in midfield.

Arsenal still possessed plenty of individual quality, but they had fallen behind their major Premier League rivals. The club had missed out on Champions League football for several seasons and there was growing frustration around performances, recruitment and the overall direction of the team.

Arteta’s early task was therefore considerably broader than simply improving league results. He inherited a squad that required reshaping and a club attempting to rebuild the connection between the players and supporters after several unsettled seasons.

One of the younger players beginning to emerge at the time was Bukayo Saka. The academy graduate was still establishing himself at senior level when Arteta arrived, but he would go on to become one of the central figures in the Arsenal side that eventually returned to the top of the Premier League.

Early success followed by difficult seasons

Arteta delivered his first major trophy within months of taking charge, guiding Arsenal to the FA Cup in 2020 after victories over Manchester City and Chelsea at Wembley.

That early success did not immediately translate into a Premier League revival. Arsenal finished eighth in consecutive seasons and missed out on European football altogether following the 2020/21 campaign, placing further pressure on a long-term rebuild that was still taking shape.

The make-up of the squad changed significantly over the following years. Several experienced players departed, while Arsenal increasingly built around a younger group capable of developing together under Arteta.

Saka became one of the team’s most influential attacking players, while a series of younger additions helped to change the age profile and style of the squad. Arsenal gradually became more structured in possession, more aggressive without the ball and increasingly capable of controlling matches against the Premier League’s strongest sides.

That progress was not always straightforward. Arsenal narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification in 2021/22 after finishing fifth, but the following season provided the clearest indication that the club had moved into a new phase.

Arsenal return to Premier League title contention

Arsenal emerged as Manchester City’s closest challengers during the 2022/23 Premier League season and spent much of the campaign at the top of the table before eventually finishing second.

Although they missed out on the title, the season secured Arsenal’s return to the Champions League and marked their first serious Premier League challenge for several years.

The Gunners remained among the leading sides in the seasons that followed rather than falling back into the battle for European qualification. Arsenal finished second again in 2023/24 after collecting 89 points, winning 28 league matches and scoring 91 goals.

Another runners-up finish followed before Arsenal finally made the breakthrough in 2025/26, ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League title.

Arsenal end 22-year wait for Premier League title

The 2025/26 campaign became the defining season of Arteta’s Arsenal reign.

Arsenal secured their first Premier League title since the Invincibles went unbeaten in 2003/04, ending a run of three successive second-place finishes and completing the club’s return to the top of English football.

Their progress was not restricted to domestic competition. Arsenal also reached the UEFA Champions League Final, only the second time in the club’s history they had reached the showpiece of Europe’s leading club competition.

Although Paris Saint-Germain eventually defeated Arsenal on penalties, reaching the final alongside winning the Premier League underlined the scale of the team’s development under Arteta.

The squad he now manages bears little resemblance to the one he inherited in 2019. Arsenal have become younger, more athletic and more technically secure, while several players have developed into leading Premier League performers during Arteta’s tenure.

Saka’s rise has been one of the most prominent examples. Having been a teenager trying to establish himself in the first team when Arteta arrived, he has since become one of Arsenal’s most important players and a central figure in their return to the top of English football.

Arsenal move into a new stage under Arteta

Arteta’s new contract arrives at a point when expectations at Arsenal have changed considerably.

For much of his reign, the focus was on rebuilding a side capable of returning to the Champions League and competing for the Premier League title. Those objectives have now been achieved, with Arsenal entering the 2026/27 campaign as reigning champions and one of the established contenders in Europe.

That creates a different challenge for Arteta and his squad. Arsenal are no longer attempting to close the gap on the Premier League’s leading sides; they are now trying to remain at the top and turn one title-winning season into a sustained period of success.

Their start to the new campaign has already provided both encouragement and an early setback, with Arsenal winning their opening four Premier League matches before suffering defeat against Brighton ahead of the international break.

The new agreement nevertheless provides continuity at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal look to build on the most successful period of Arteta’s managerial career.

When he arrived in December 2019, Arsenal were a club searching for a route back towards the top of the Premier League. Almost seven years later, they are defending champions, regular Champions League participants and once again competing for the biggest trophies available.

Arsenal Hospitality with Eventmasters

Supporters can watch the reigning Premier League champions in action at the Emirates Stadium throughout the 2026/27 season with Arsenal hospitality packages from Eventmasters.

A range of premium hospitality experiences are available for selected Arsenal home fixtures, giving guests the opportunity to combine first-class matchday facilities with excellent views as Arteta’s side compete in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

Enquire with Eventmasters to find out more about Arsenal hospitality at the Emirates Stadium during the 2026/27 season.