Arteta contract announcement set to boost Arsenal ahead of North London derby

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has ended speculation over his future by agreeing a new three-year contract with the club, according to widespread reports.

Arteta, who has turned the Gunners back into Premier League title challengers, was due to be out of contract next summer and had been linked with jobs at Barcelona and Manchester City.

But the Spaniard’s new deal will commit him to North London until 2027 and hand Arsenal a major boost ahead of this weekend’s derby with Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal are expected to confirm Arteta’s new contract, which is reported to include a raise on his existing £9m salary, before Sunday’s game.

The 42-year-old returned to the club he previously captained in December 2019 following the sacking of Unai Emery and won the FA Cup in his first season.

Arteta secured qualification back into the Champions League after a six-year absence from Europe’s top competition in 2023 by finishing second in the top flight.

Arsenal were runners-up again last season when they pushed City even closer, finishing just two points behind the champions in a title race that went down to the last day.

The former Everton, Rangers and Real Sociedad midfielder’s success in the dugout has seen him emerge as a candidate for jobs at some of the world’s biggest clubs.

Barcelona, where he trained as a youngster, were linked with a move for him and he has long been mooted as a potential successor to former mentor Pep Guardiola at City.

Arteta spent three and a half years working as an assistant to Guardiola following his retirement from playing in 2016 until he left to rejoin Arsenal.

He is a leading figure in a wave of Basque coaches currently at the forefront of the game which also includes boyhood friends Xabi Alonso, at Bayer Leverkusen, and Andoni Iraola, of Bournemouth, Aston Villa boss Emery and West Ham’s Julen Lopetegui.