Sport

Arteta, Arsenal’s Coach Who Elevated the Team to the Top Clubs, Renews His Contract Until 2027

Sudan Events – Agencies
The English club Arsenal has successfully secured the continuation of its Spanish coach, Mikel Arteta, until 2027, renewing his contract as the team, known as “the Gunners,” prepares to face Tottenham in the North London Derby next Sunday, as part of the fourth round of the Premier League.
According to the German News Agency (DPA), the renewal of Arteta’s contract reflects the London club’s commitment to maintaining the elements that contributed to the team’s development over the past few years. The team faced significant challenges in the first two years following the departure of its former French coach, Arsène Wenger, who left the club in 2018 after 22 years at the helm.
Succeeding Wenger was no easy task. Arteta’s compatriot, Unai Emery, took over but failed to bring about a significant change and left at the end of 2019. Swedish coach Freddie Ljungberg took charge temporarily before handing over the reins to Arteta, a former Arsenal player.
Appointing Arteta was a successful move by the club’s management, despite him being relatively unknown in the coaching world at the time, as he had been an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. However, he successfully brought his experience to Arsenal, restoring the team to its former status among the top clubs.
Looking at Arteta’s football career, he started in Barcelona’s youth academy between 1997 and 1999, where he played alongside Xabi Alonso, the former Real Madrid and Liverpool player and current Bayer Leverkusen coach. However, Arteta only managed to play for Barcelona’s B team, where he remained until 2002.
Arteta spent one season on loan at Paris Saint-Germain in France before moving to Rangers in Scotland in 2002. Afterward, he returned to Spain with Real Sociedad before moving to England, joining Everton for the 2004-2005 season.
At Everton, Arteta helped the team achieve fourth place in the 2004-2005 season and reached the FA Cup final in 2009, where they lost to Chelsea. His impressive performances caught Arsenal’s attention, and he joined them in the summer of 2011.
Arteta played his final five years of professional football at Arsenal, winning two FA Cups and two Community Shields. He retired at the end of the 2015-2016 season to join Manchester City’s coaching staff under Guardiola.
During his time as Guardiola’s assistant, Arteta not only won titles but also gained valuable experience from the renowned coach, who has won trophies wherever he has gone. The three and a half years Arteta spent as an assistant were enough to convince Arsenal’s management to hire him as their coach in late 2019 to salvage the situation.
At that time, Arsenal was in a dire state, underperforming in the Europa League, and their league results were far from reassuring the fans. Unai Emery, despite being a strong candidate to succeed Wenger, was dismissed, and Arteta took charge in challenging circumstances.
One of Arteta’s first challenges was reshaping the squad, parting ways with aging players or stars no longer contributing to the team, such as Mesut Özil, Shkodran Mustafi, and David Luiz. Arteta led Arsenal to an FA Cup victory in 2020 in difficult circumstances, beating Chelsea in the final after defeating Manchester City and Guardiola in the semifinals.
That FA Cup win raised expectations for Arsenal fans. The following season, 2020-2021, the focus shifted to winning the Europa League and returning to the Champions League. However, former Arsenal coach Unai Emery, managing Villarreal, dashed those hopes by knocking Arsenal out in the semifinals.
At the start of the 2021-2022 season, Arsenal lost their first three league matches. Despite widespread criticism and mockery from fans, Arteta led the team to a fifth-place finish, and they competed for a top-four spot until the final moments, narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification.
The following season, Arsenal aimed for Champions League qualification and succeeded. Not only that, but the team also competed for the Premier League title with Manchester City until the final stages of the season. Arsenal also reached the Champions League quarterfinals last season, exiting at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Under Arteta, Arsenal has become a respected and formidable force in the Premier League in recent seasons. The club’s management knows they must keep Arteta, which is why they have extended his contract until 2027.

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