Mikel Arteta was recently linked with a move to Barcelona, but whilst he shut down any exit rumours, it did raise a concern for Arsenal.
We were recently told that Arteta has been in talks with Arsenal over a new contract since the start of the season, with just 18 months remaining on his current deal.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez announced that he will step down from his role at the end of the season, and Arteta’s ties to the club has played a part in their potential interest in him.
Jamie Carragher has now urged Arsenal to hand Arteta a long-term contract to tie him down, whilst also issuing a statement to the rest of the world about their plans for the future with him.
Carragher urges Arsenal to give Arteta a new contract
Writing in The Telegraph, Carragher claimed that with Jurgen Klopp stepping down at Liverpool, and Pep Guardiola facing an uncertain future at Manchester City, Arsenal and Arteta are best-placed out of anyone to step up and replace them at the top.
“Get Mikel Arteta tied to a new contract at the earliest opportunity,” Carragher explained.
“Liverpool are entering a period of uncertainty when Jürgen Klopp leaves at the end of the season, and there are persistent rumours that Pep Guardiola will soon feel his work is done at Manchester City.
“What a message it would send if Arteta was committed to the Emirates for another four years, vowing to reap the rewards of the foundations he has laid.
“Who will be better placed than Arsenal and Arteta in the post-Klopp and Guardiola Premier League era?
“If Arsenal lost Arteta in 2025, when his current deal runs out, it would feel like they are squandering a massive opportunity which they have been building towards, albeit everyone naturally craves the title sooner rather than later.”
Arteta is the perfect manager for Arsenal right now
Although Arsenal are clinging on in the title race ahead of Sunday’s clash with Liverpool, and Arteta has been criticised this season, there is little doubt that he is the coach who can lead Arsenal further forward.
He took over an Arsenal team languishing in mid-table and struggling in the Europa League, with an ageing and underperforming squad.
He has rebuilt the club to challenge at the top of the league, and breeze through to the Champions League knockout stages, with one of the youngest squads in the league, and he has taken Arsenal very far away from how he found them.
Losing him this summer would be disastrous, and if City and Liverpool are to both have periods of struggle, having Arteta at the helm will give Arsenal the best possible chance of success as one of the most stable clubs in the league.
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