Arsenal are set to hold talks with Mikel Arteta over the manager signing a new contract this summer.
The Arsenal manager has one year left on his deal and is four matches away from winning a historic Double. Arsenal need three more wins to ensure they are crowned Premier League champions and could win their first Champions League trophy this month when they take on either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.
Preliminary talks have taken place between Arsenal and Arteta, 44, whose current three-year deal is worth more than £10million a year before bonuses and expires at the end of the 2026-27 season. To date he has won only the FA Cup in 2020, his first season in charge.
Arteta after Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup final winGetty
Arteta confirmed in December last year that he wanted to stay beyond 2027, but admitted that he would have to earn the right to a new contract, which suggested he recognised the need to make progress this season.
He can tick that box having taken Arsenal beyond the Champions League semi-final stage that they reached last season. Arsenal have qualified for a fourth straight year after an absence of six seasons in Europe’s premier competition from 2017-2018. His side have finished runners-up in the Premier League for the past three campaigns but now have their best chance to win their first title since 2004.
Arteta has been backed with a net spend of more than £700million on signings and has plans to strengthen at full back, midfield, left winger and up front this summer. The outlay will need to be partly offset by player sales, which has started with the departure of Jakub Kiwior to Porto, where he has spent the season on loan, for £14.7million, plus £4million in add-ons.
Arsenal stand to win at least £124million for reaching the Champions League finalGetty
Arsenal announced record revenue of £691million last season and that is expected to rise this season. The club’s prize money for reaching the Champions League final is estimated to be about £124million, about £26million more than last season. Arsenal would receive a further £9million if they win the trophy, which includes £3.5million paid for reaching the Super Cup.
The money will go towards paying the many millions of pounds in bonuses to the squad for qualifying and progress in Europe. The players stand to earn a bonus of about £125,000 each if they play in the final and Arsenal win. They would have each received around £25,000 for each leg of the semi-final. They might also have earned between £750,000 and £1million for qualifying for the competition if they had started 60 per cent or more of the league matches last season.
There is a separate bonus scheme for winning the league, worth nearly £6,000 per appearance for each player. In addition, a player is likely to earn money via a share of a bonus pool worth millions, which is accrued during their progress in league and cup competitions and is distributed among all players based on appearances at the end of the season.
Arsenal have earmarked a parade for Sunday May 31, if they win a trophy — or complete the Double.
Mikel Merino is aiming to return from a broken foot in time to play in the final. The midfielder has not played since January but is working out on the grass.
Meanwhile, Uefa is expected to review flashpoints at the end of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. Marc Pubill, the Atletico defender, appeared to confront five celebrating Arsenal players before Gabriel Jesus, the forward, seemingly slapped him. Diego Simeone, the Atletico head coach, seemed to push Andrea Berta, who worked as his sporting director at the Spanish club until last season. Uefa has a disciplinary meeting this week and might also discuss issues from the first leg.