Morning.
The only place to start today is the news that Mikel Arteta has put pen to paper on a new deal with the club. It was announced yesterday, and it’s no real surprise. I know some people were fretting a bit once he got into the final 12 months of his deal, but my understanding is that this was all agreed some time ago, and it was just about when it would be announced.
I suppose the timing is interesting. On the one hand, an Interlull is ready-made for this kind of thing, and I think the club were cognisant of not doing anything during the transfer window to ward off accusations they weren’t focused on what they needed to do with player arrivals and departures. On the other, going into a North London derby where we’ll be without Martin Odegaard, without Declan Rice, without summer signing Mikel Merino, and potentially without Riccardo Calafiori due to the Looney Tunes nonsense inflicted on him when he was playing for Italy, this announcement provides a bit of a boost.
Speaking to the official site, he expressed his happiness about committing to new terms and staying longer. This is a team that he has built – or, at least, played a very significant role in building because there has been teamwork and a lot of joined up thinking to get us to this point – but one which has unfinished business. From his side, the side of the players, and the fans. The club has been transformed from an unhappy place to one where optimism and unity abounds – in no small part because of Arteta, but also because the club have given him what he wants and what he has demanded.
Asked what excites him most about the future, he said:
The people and the ambition of the club. They are ready to do whatever it takes to take this club to the next level and win.
There’s more detail here, but it’s interesting to consider what this next cycle should bring. If the first contract was about taking stock of a club in disarray and then knocking things down to the build them up again;…
Source link : https://arseblog.com/2024/09/arteta-signs-a-new-deal-the-new-cycle-is-about-winning/
Author : arseblog
Publish date : 2024-09-13 06:16:46
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