Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have talks planned over a new contract; however, fan sentiment around the manager could complicate a renewal.
The Gunners remain in a great position to win at least one major title this season; however, there are signs of the team starting to falter.
Discuss Mikel Arteta’s future if Arsenal do NOT win the Premier League
Arsenal are in the Champions League semi-finals, but face a tough test against Atletico Madrid; meanwhile, they travel away to Man City at the weekend.
Having been so tough to watch at times this season, ending the season trophyless once again would be heartbreaking and would make a contract renewal very tricky.
Mikel Arteta’s new Arsenal contract could be complicated by fan sentiment
Mikel Arteta’s new contract at Arsenal could be complicated by fan sentiment, according to James Benge.
Arsenal plan to offer Arteta a new contract at the end of the season, having postponed talks to do so immediately, with the focus on finishing the season strong.
However, if the Gunners failed to win a trophy this season, following talk of a quadruple, then fans could quickly start to turn on the manager.
Speaking about the situation, Benge told Give Me Sport: “It’s a complicated one. So they have had those conversations, and the expectation is that they would resume in the summer, but you have to factor in the fan mood and the fan noise.
🏆👀 I am feeling __% confident that Arsenal will win the Premier League title this season…
“I don’t really know what it would be if Arsenal don’t win another trophy, but my suspicion is it would harden against the idea of giving him an extension.
“He is currently one of the best-paid managers in the world, and he would find it difficult to convince supporters. It’s always hard to know what it would be like in the ground.
“I don’t really know to what extent the ownership, who haven’t quite been in this position as permanent owners of the club, Arsene Wenger, you almost have to treat it as a different case.
“I don’t know how they would manage that situation. They would like him to stay, and I don’t think Mikel Arteta would walk either.”
The pressure is on Mikel Arteta at Arsenal
Arteta has just become the first Arsenal manager to reach back-to-back Champions League semi-finals, but there is still a lot of worry about their season.
City are chasing them down in the Premier League and in the Champions League, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, or PSG are standing in their way.
Failure to win either the FA Cup or the Carabao Cup has now ramped up the pressure on the Spaniard to deliver one of the big two titles.
Just like Ian Wright, Arsenal fans do not enjoy watching the team’s style of play, which adds further pressure on Arteta to deliver playing the way he is.
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