When Mikel Arteta signed his last Arsenal contract in September 2024, his quest to bring major silverware back to the club was ongoing. Two years later, he signs his new one after leading them to a long-awaited Premier League title.

His task now is to turn champions into serial winners.

Arteta has overseen a total transformation of the club since his appointment in 2019. Arsenal, 10th in the Premier League table when he took over, were in a state of drift. Now, they are re-established among Europe’s elite, unrecognisable in all departments.

Arteta has joined a select group of 13 managers to have won the Premier League. He now has the chance to join an even smaller group, made up of only Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, by winning it more than once.

Securing a first Champions League, after guiding Arsenal to only their second final last term, is another chance for immortality.

His new contract, described as an “utmost priority” by co-chair Josh Kroenke in May, reflects the club’s belief that they are in the best possible hands. It also gives Arteta the chance to get closer to Guardiola’s longevity at Manchester City.

The club feel the departure of Arteta’s old mentor from City, coupled with instability there and elsewhere, presents an opportunity to capitalise. Arsenal are in their “win window”, to quote Kroenke. “We think we have a chance here to dominate,” he said in May.

Arteta’s task has been made harder by the failure to add a level-raising forward in the summer. But his squad is replete with players in or approaching their peak years, between 24 and 28, now with the added experience of having won major silverware.

The group look well-set to build on their success. But Arteta, the rookie head coach-turned elite manager whose work other clubs now strive to emulate, might be Arsenal’s biggest asset of all, which is why the news of his new deal is so significant.

Who better to nurture the culture which has underpinned their success than the man who painstakingly implemented it?

Arteta ensures stability, allowing Arsenal to operate from a position of strength. “Getting the foundations in place is usually the hardest part of the journey,” added Kroenke.

His tenure has been a story of steady improvement, both domestically, where Arsenal have ended a 22-year wait for the title, and in Europe, where they have gone from Champions League quarter-finalists, to semi-finalists, to runners-up in three years.

But there is work to do to sustain the trajectory.

Their defeat to Brighton highlighted room for improvement. It felt like a slap in the face to Arsenal, largely because it was so uncharacteristic. Arteta’s side, defined by their steeliness, hadn’t lost a Premier League game by a margin of three goals since 2023.

Arteta will hope to use the result as a wake-up call, and a reminder to his players that there can be no room for complacency in their efforts to retain their crown. “This is a big lesson for all of us to understand what it takes to win at this level,” he said.

He might even come to be grateful for it.

Arsenal went into the season as most people’s favourites to win the title. But only a handful of sides have gone back-to-back in the Premier League era. Arsenal haven’t managed it since the 1930s. History shows the enormity of the task ahead of them.

Part of the challenge for Arteta is to continue evolving the team.

Heavily impacted by injuries to their best attacking players for a second consecutive season last term, Arsenal leaned into their defensive and set-piece prowess to get over the line in the title race. They remain a formidable outfit on both fronts.

Clearly, there is still work to do in the transfer market to bring their attack up to the same level. For now, though, Arteta must get more from what he has, helped, at least, by a far clearer injury list.

It is worth noting that the last time he had Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka fit for a full season, in 2023/24, Arsenal broke a club record for goals. The trio, together again at last, scored 10 goals in their first seven games of the campaign.

More broadly, there have been signs of a return to a more possession-orientated playing style, and a greater desire to control games with the ball rather than without it.

It is of course still early in the campaign to make definitive judgements. But Arsenal’s numbers are up for possession, passes and passes in the final third compared to last season.

Most interestingly, they are attempting nearly twice as many build-up attacks, defined as open-play passing sequences of 10 or more passes leading to a shot or touch in the opposition box.

The Brighton gamed showed teething problems as they struggled to play through their opponent’s press, repeatedly landing themselves in trouble. But for the most part Arsenal have looked a more cohesive and purposeful outfit in their attacking play.

They trail Manchester City by three points in the Premier League table but the underlying data, usually the strongest indicator of future success, has them as the best-performing team again this season, despite what happened against Brighton.

There has been less reliance on set-pieces. All but one of their 16 goals in all competitions this season have come from open play, the only exception being Saka’s late penalty in their win over Sunderland.

There was further evidence of increased offensive threat in their Champions League opener against Napoli, when they attacked relentlessly, only scoring once but generating 4.05 expected goals, their highest figure on record in the competition.

The club will have to use future transfer windows to complete his squad. But the continued emergence of academy products, with Max Dowman and Marli Salmon the latest to benefit from the environment now in place at London Colney, offers further encouragement as Arteta’s tenure enters a new era.

Mikel Arteta has signed a new long-term contract to extend his stay at Arsenal.

The 44-year-old’s existing contract with the Premier League champions, signed in September 2024, was due to expire next summer.

But the Spaniard, who was appointed in 2019, has committed his future to the club until June 2030.

Arteta has transformed Arsenal’s fortunes during his tenure and guided the club to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season following three straight second-place finishes.

He also led the Gunners to only their second Champions League final, which they lost on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain. He has also won an FA Cup and three Community Shields.

“It’s a privilege to commit my future to the club and to continue to work with exceptional people who want the best for Arsenal,” Arteta said in a statement.

“This club is unique, its character and the way it makes you feel, and I have a great sense of privilege that our journey together will continue.

“We have already built a special bond and created memories that will last a lifetime, and what is so exciting is that this is only the beginning of what we can achieve together.

“I’m extremely grateful to Stan and Josh for their trust and support, and feel honoured to be leading this club through such a special period in its 140-year history.

“This is such a proud moment for me and my family. I feel the love and respect from our fantastic supporters, and they have mine – and ours – in return.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick said: “This is an important time in Arsenal Football Club’s history. We want to create a winning era together with Mikel.

“We will continue to work hard together as we aim to fulfil our long-term ambitions for the club and our supporters.

“Mikel has the belief, determination and the understanding of what it takes to build something remarkable and enduring here, and we are excited to continue that journey together.”

Feature: Arteta’s route to greatness?

Only four managers – Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger – have won the Premier League title more than once.

So can Arteta join the esteemed list? His new contract gives him a chance to build an Arsenal dynasty. Sky Sports’ Nick Wright assesses his chances of doing it.

Podcast: Can Arteta eclipse Wenger?

Sky Sports News reporter Gary Cotterill:

“Arsene Wenger certainly got off to a faster start, didn’t he? But Arteta has got the time to do it.

“Arteta now, he’s on his fourth contract and he’s 44 years old. Arsene Wenger was 47 when he arrived at Arsenal. So he’s already got a lot of years on him.

“In three years, Arteta will have been at Arsenal for 10 years, but still be the same age that Wenger was when he was appointed at Arsenal.

“I think that will be one of his ambitions, because people still think about Wenger as being the best manager, certainly modern manager, that Arsenal have ever had.

“And Arteta is certainly in the running, given his age and the fact that they seem to be having this contract situation, which doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon, to get the trophies that Wenger got.”

Cotterill was speaking on a special Arsenal podcast about Arsenal’s new contract with Ron Walker, Nick Wright and Sam Blitz.

Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal into Premier League champions but does his new contract take him into a new stage of his project? And can he bring more trophies to eclipse Arsene Wenger?

In a special podcast, Ron Walker is joined by Gary Cotterill, Nick Wright and Sam Blitz to discuss Arteta’s new deal in detail. The panel reflect on his tenure so far and look at the challenges ahead as he aims to build an Arsenal dynasty.

‘Arteta transformed Arsenal’s identity’

Nick Wright: “The club is unrecognisable from 2019, on and off the pitch. It’s been a collective effort but Arteta is the driving force behind it. He’s one of few constants over these six or seven years.

“He has brought the club back to the elite. This is a team winning titles now, also consistently reaching the latter stages of the Champions League. Obviously, there are still imperfections. There’s still fallibility. The Brighton game showed that.

“But what made that defeat such a surprise was that it was so uncharacteristic, and that tells you a lot about the standards that he has set. Arsenal hadn’t lost a game by three goals in the Premier League for over three years. It just doesn’t really happen.

“And it’s what we’ve come to expect, that capacity to deliver consistently. They have become so difficult to beat. And remember, Arsenal used to get bullied and beaten up all the time.

“It’s a total transformation of their identity under Arteta. They are defined by that competitiveness. They are a super-competitive team, they are relentless, and that’s a reflection of the manager.

“These are the things that define him, and these are the ways in which he has imprinted his own personality on this team. The team is very much a reflection of Arteta and the way he approaches his job.”

‘D-word is step five of the project’

Sam Blitz: “It’s been well-documented that when Arteta arrived, he had a five-step plan to bring Arsenal to the top of English football.

“Step one was creating that culture. There was that infamous story of the first-team meeting with the Arsenal players, where the players walked in and the room was a mess.

“Chairs and tables were everywhere and Arteta said, ‘this is what English football thinks of you, and we’re going to fix it bit by bit’.

“Step two was probably getting the right players in. We saw that with the likes of Gabriel joining, Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale. These are more the profiles of what he wanted.

“Step three then was to challenge, and that coincided with the time when Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko arrived. Arteta said those two ‘changed our world’, so that got them challenging for the top honours once again.

“Step four was to win, to get over the line. That also coincided with the arrival of Win the dog, who is a popular figure at the training ground. And that obviously happened last season.

“And now we’ve got to step five, which is the D-word. Anyone associated with Arsenal will know the D-word is dynasty. And it’s interesting that this new contract coincides with that step five.”

Can Arteta match Wenger?

Gary Cotterill: “Arsene Wenger certainly got off to a faster start, didn’t he? But Arteta has got the time to do it.

“Arteta now, he’s on his fourth contract and he’s 44 years old. Arsene Wenger was 47 when he arrived at Arsenal. So he’s already got a lot of years on him.

“In three years, Arteta will have been at Arsenal for 10 years, but still be the same age that Wenger was when he was appointed at Arsenal.

“That will be one of his ambitions, because people still think about Wenger as being the best manager, certainly modern manager, that Arsenal have ever had.

“And Arteta is certainly in the running, given his age and the fact that they seem to be having this contract situation, which doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon, to get the trophies that Wenger got.”

‘The next rebuild will test him’

Sam Blitz: “The potential rebuild will test Arteta.

“If he’s still in charge of Arsenal in 2029, he will have overtaken Jurgen Klopp’s spell at Liverpool. If he’s in there in 2030, he will have overtaken Pep’s time at Manchester City.

“Arteta is younger, this is his first job and he’s probably got more in the tank compared to those two. But it’s the rebuilds that really damaged Klopp and Guardiola.

“If you actually look at the ages of the Arsenal squad, come 2029, you’d have Gabriel, 31, [Martin] Odegaard, 30, [Declan] Rice, 30, [Kai] Havertz, 30, [David] Raya, 34.

“Those are five players you’d probably put at the very heart of this Mikel Arteta project. All of them would probably have to be thinking about moving on.

“Does Arteta have that in him when he gets to that stage to then really go and create a new team, almost?”

Is Arteta’s style misunderstood?

Nick Wright: “The attack is the area where fans want to see the most improvement but there is a slight misconception around Arteta in terms of what he wants the team to be and who he is as a manager.

“People are sometimes critical of Arsenal for putting too much emphasis on set-pieces and being too defensive. They did lean into those things to win the title, no doubt about it.

“But that was largely to do with injuries. When you can’t get your most effective attacking players on the pitch, it’s hard to be that free-flowing force. He maximised their chances of winning by leaning into other things.

“You have to remember, the last time he had Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Odegaard fit for a full season, Arsenal scored a club-record number of goals with 91 – more goals than any Wenger team.

“He would like to return Arsenal to that level of attacking potency. I don’t think he’s wilfully turned them into something else. He has adapted. He is pragmatic.”

‘Arteta has Mourinho’s ruthlessness’

Gary Cotterill: “They are both ruthless. This is the biggest thing they have in common. Arteta was ruthless when it came to Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.

“Jose Mourinho has been ruthless with players as well.

“If they’re not doing the job or around the place that they were brought in to do because of age or attitude, no matter what relationship they have, Arteta will ruthlessly get rid of them.

“He’s ruthless when it comes to the officials as well. Arteta is becoming like a mini-Mourinho in his criticism of decisions and referees.”