What Arsenal are ready to offer Arteta
Arsenal are prepared to offer manager Mikel Arteta a new contract at the end of the season.
The Gunners have improved considerably in recent months, now four points off fourth-place Manchester United with three games in hand in the Premier League.
And, as a reward for the club's fine form, owner Stan Kroenke is willing to hand Arteta a lucrative new deal, The Sun reports.
In fact, Arteta flew to Denver last month for face-to-face talks with Kroenke and his son Josh.
The owners gave Arteta their full support, on the back of a huge summer spending spree, as the north London club look to make a return to European competition.
The Spaniard's current contract expires at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, meaning next season would have been his last if not for the proposed extension.
Arteta's Arsenal contract
Arteta is currently on a salary of £5 million a year, far less than Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola's £20m.
And, Tottenham's Antonio Conte, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Leicester City's Brendan Rodgers are all on around £15m annually.
So, Arteta will be pleased to have been offered a significant pay rise, somewhat closing the gap to his peers.
Mikel Arteta on his contract situation: “I am really happy here. My aim is just to build with the club a winning team. A team people can enjoy watching”. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
“Things will happen naturally. Our focus must be delivering what we want”, he added. pic.twitter.com/oT3mejMRc0— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 23, 2022
That said, the new £8.3m-a-year deal, running until 2025, still leaves him a long way off the highest-paid coaches in the country.
The 39-year-old will, instead, hope that the spare funds go towards player signings this summer.
While the Gunners have a young squad that looks like it will grow into a top four-contender, there remains an awful lot to be done if they plan on challenging for the major honours.
Arsenal are 21 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, and that is without the nuisance of having to play twice-a-week.