After speculations over a potential move out of North London, reports state that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has agreed a new three-year contract at the Premier League club.
The 42-year-old has been in charge of the Gunners since 2019 and has led them to successive second-place league finishes but had entered the final 12 months of his deal.
Arteta called for calm last month regarding his contract situation, insisting his focus had been on the transfer window.
His new deal comes on the eve of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against London rivals Tottenham on Sunday.
Since leaving a coaching role at Manchester City to take over from Unai Emery at the Emirates, Arteta, a former Arsenal player, has won silverware and made the club Premier League title challengers again.
In his first season in charge the Gunners lifted the FA Cup.
They have also finished as Premier League runners-up in the past two seasons, pushing champions Manchester City in enthralling title battles.
Arsenal are currently fourth in the table after two wins and a draw and begin their Champions League campaign next week against Atalanta.
He now is set to face a Tottenham Hotspur side this coming weekend, in a heated North London derby with a weirdly new stipulation, ruling that the Gunners cannot don the red-and-white of their home kits for the match, as according to PGMOL and PL, it features too much white, clashing with the colours of Spurs.
This comes across as insult to injury for a hobbled Arsenal, who have been plagued by the injury bug lately.
The Gunners have been dealt a fresh double blow ahead of the trip to their rivals after Martin Odegaard suffered a sprained ankle while on Norway duty against Austria – with the playmaker now expected to miss their next game against Tottenham on September 15 – while Declan Rice is also set to be absent.
Odegaard and Rice will be crucial misses for the team in midfield as they bid to maintain their early push for the title and they could be joined by new signing Ricardo Calafiori after the Italian went off with a bizarre injury during Italy’s win against France in the Nations League – having been clattered by a falling Ousmane Dembele.
(with agency inputs)
