Mikel Arteta has thanked the Arsenal fans who have helped to ’emotionally transformed the club’ after he signed a new long-term contract.
The 42-year-old succeeded Unai Emery five years ago and, having inherited a woefully underperforming and unbalanced squad, has helped mastermind a near total overhaul which almost culminated in the Premier League title last season.
Having spent significantly again in the summer transfer window, Arsenal are expected to again challenge for major honours this term and Arteta is looking forward to continuing the journey and winning the silverware his efforts merit.
‘I feel extremely proud, very excited and am looking forward to what is coming next. I’m proud to be where I am and have the relationships that I have with everyone at the club,’ said Arteta.
‘I feel extremely lucky to work every single day with good people and the ambition we have here. I feel very inspired, I feel challenged, I feel supported and I want to do much more than what we’ve already done together.
‘Together with the players and everyone at the club, we are looking forward to the coming years, with our supporters, who have emotionally transformed the club and the team.
‘Our supporters have transformed individuals and we are different now. You can tell that we are different and for me, that is down to them. We look forward to continuing the journey together.’
Arteta’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of this season and, as such, he had been touted as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
On securing the future of the club’s manager, sporting director Edu said: ‘We are really happy that Mikel has signed a new long-term contract.
‘It’s a very positive and proud moment for everyone at the club and an important part of what we’re all working towards.
‘Mikel has shown his qualities since the very first day he joined us, not only as a football manager, but as a person with wonderful values.
‘We have a strong belief in what we are doing and what we want to achieve together. Mikel’s new contract gives us stability and clear direction as we aim for new heights.’
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