Arsenal have done the obvious thing. Mikel Arteta has agreed a new contract, on improved terms, after delivering the club’s first Premier League title in 22 years. This is what serious clubs do when a manager builds a title-winning side and gives the whole project shape.

Arteta took over in December 2019 after replacing Unai Emery. Since then, he has moved Arsenal from hopeful contenders to the team setting the standard domestically. Last season, they finished seven points clear of Manchester City to win the Premier League, then went all the way to the Champions League final before losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.

The timing matters. The 2026/27 season was the final year of his previous agreement, so Arsenal had no interest in letting uncertainty hang over the campaign. The new deal is expected to extend his stay beyond a decade, which tells you everything about how the club view him.

The numbers are significant. His previous contract was reportedly worth around £10m per year, plus bonuses. The new agreement is understood to improve those terms further, putting him among the best-paid managers in world football. That is a statement, and a rational one.

There was little real doubt he would stay. Still, getting the paperwork done matters. Arsenal are trying to build sustained success, not enjoy one title and drift. Stability at manager level is part of that.

Winning the Premier League changes the conversation. Arsenal are no longer chasing credibility. They have that. Now it becomes about repeatability, and about turning domestic progress into European dominance.

Arteta set that target clearly when discussing the club’s direction. “Obviously we have to have a mid, long-term version,” he explained. “That is to build to the best club in the world. That has to be without any question of doubt what we have to do.

“In order to achieve that, there’s a lot of things you have to do daily to give you the probability to achieve that.