Mikel Arteta has reassured Arsenal supporters that there is no reason to worry about his future at the club.
The Arsenal manager is entering the final 12 months of his current contract, but he insists he wants to remain in north London and is relaxed about extending his deal.
Arteta took charge in December 2019 and has transformed Arsenal into one of the Premier League’s leading sides. Last season, he guided the Gunners to their first league title in 22 years.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City, Arteta was asked whether supporters should be concerned about his contract situation.
“No, they don’t have to worry about any of that because I want to be here, I’m extremely happy,” he said.
“I feel very grateful to work with the people that I work with and whenever we have the possibility we will resolve that and that’s it.”
Arteta signed his current agreement in 2024, with the deal running until the end of the 2026-27 season. Although a renewal has yet to be completed, the Spaniard said the timing was not causing concern.
He believes both sides are comfortable with the situation and there is no need to rush discussions.
“Everybody feels comfortable that the time on the contract is not going to be an issue,” Arteta said.
“My will certainly is to be here and I’m very happy here. And my feeling from the club is the same one.”
Arsenal are preparing to defend their Premier League title after a busy summer in the transfer market. The club have strengthened their squad with Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis and Piero Hincapie, while goalkeeper Illan Meslier has also arrived.
Arteta also wants further defensive reinforcements following injuries to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber. Arsenal remain interested in Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah.
The Gunners also reached the Champions League final last season before losing to Paris St-Germain. Arteta now wants to build on that progress and strengthen the squad further.
“We want to improve the squad, we want to evolve the squad in order to achieve that,” he said.
