Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he expects the club’s attention to turn to his expiring contract once the transfer window closes next week.
Arteta entered the final 12 months of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, sparking concern among fans that they could lose their manager, although the manager has always publicly stressed his commitment to the club and his expectation that extension talks will be easy.
With Mikel Merino set to make Arsenal’s third summer signing, Arteta has insisted the Gunners will focus on settling his future later this year.
“There was a lot of focus on the transfer window,” he explained. “We had a lot of things to do and talk about.
“We are on it and we will fix it at the right time. I am very grateful first of all when I sit with the people I work with every day because it is really difficult to find harmony, trust, belief and alignment in the vision.
“It’s something I always count because I believe we still have an incredible time ahead of us. It’s very exciting and I’m very happy.”
Asked if he could emulate Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp by staying tied to one club for nine years, Arteta added: “I see today and tomorrow. That’s the reality as managers and we have to live with this urgency.
“If you look two, three years down the line, you have to plan because what happens at the club after that depends on how good the results are – that’s it. That’s the truth. For now do your best and enjoy it if you can.”
Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have both been interested in Arteta in the past. Former signing Hansi Flick signed a two-year contract this summer, while Luis Enrique’s deal with the French champions runs until the end of the current campaign.
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