Arteta extends stay with Arsenal as London club eyes Champions League

London, May 6 (EFE).- Mikel Arteta has penned a new contract with Arsenal that will see him stay on as head coach of the London club until the 2024/25 season.

The Spaniard, a former Arsenal player, has taken the club to fourth place in the Premier League with four games to go and is on the cusp of returning to the Champions League for the first time in five years.

“I’m excited, grateful and really, really happy today,” he said in a club statement on Friday.

“We want to take the club to the next level and to compete really with the top teams. In order to do that, we have to be playing in the Champions League,” he added.

“We have to be able to evolve the team, improve our players, improve all departments, generate even more connection with our fans, improve the atmosphere at the Emirates, be able to recruit top, top talent and the best people for this club to drive this project to that level.”

Arteta joined Arsenal as head coach in 2019/20 following a stint as Pep Guardiola’s understudy with Manchester City.

With the Gunners, he has finished 8th in the Premier League twice, made the semifinals of the Uefa Europa League and won the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2020.

Arsenal play Leeds and bitter rivals Tottenham in a double Premier League game week that kicks off this weekend.

Jonas Eidevall, the head coach of Arsenal’s women’s team also extended his contract until 2023/24, the club announced.EFE

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