A “FULLY COMMITTED” Mikel Arteta said discussions over his next contract have been put on hold until the end of the season – after he insisted he has so much more to achieve at Arsenal.
Arteta’s three-year deal is up for renewal in 2027 and both the Spaniard and the club are understood to be keen for him to extend his six-and-a-half year stay, regardless of what happens between now and the summer.
Arsenal have the chance to increase their Premier League lead over Manchester City to 12 points when they entertain Bournemouth in Saturday’s lunch-time kick-off.
They are also on the brink of the Champions League semi-finals following a last-gasp 1-0 win in the first leg of their last-eight match at Sporting Lisbon.
Quizzed about his future, Arteta, still hunting just the second trophy of his reign, said: “There’s no news on that.
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“We have no time to discuss that now. The full focus is on what we have to do from here until the end of the season.
“I am fully committed and really happy and I feel good. My family is good and I still have so much ambition to do with this football club, and for now we are in a good place.
“This job is about the present and what you do on the day. Give your very best and feel that you are the person that can lead and inspire the group to achieve great things for the club.
“And I feel that way and hopefully I will feel that way for the rest of the week, and with a great outcome at the end of the season.”
Across north London, Roberto De Zerbi knows his first mission is to keep Tottenham in the Premier League but believes the club has everything to challenge for the title in the future.
De Zerbi will take charge of his maiden fixture as Spurs head coach on Sunday away at Sunderland with his new team on a 13-match winless league run and embroiled in a shock survival battle.
Tottenham have not been relegated since 1977 but De Zerbi is the third man to sit in the managerial hotseat this season and even though he is focused on the final seven matches of a difficult campaign, he plans to aim high in N17 after he signed a five-year contract.
Asked about his relatively short spells at Brighton and Marseille, De Zerbi pushed back: “I stayed three years in Sassuolo and then I left (Shakhtar) from Ukraine when the war started.
“In Brighton I left for different problems and in Marseille maybe the same, (but) I would like to stay four or five (years), for a long time.
“In my plan, for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I’m not speaking about titles because it’s not the right moment now, but (I want) to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level.
“First of all it has to be clear to everyone. I want to work in the Premier League and I believe I deserve to work in the Premier League, but the main sense of my work is more than the league.
“If I sign my contract in April I have to be ready to stay, no matter what, in the next season. I want to stay focused on Sunderland and the other six games, but my idea is very clear.”
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Arteta's Arsenal contract talks on hold while De Zerbi says survival is priority for Spurs
A “FULLY COMMITTED” Mikel Arteta said discussions over his next contract have been put on hold until the end of the season – after he insisted he has so much more to achieve at Arsenal.
Arteta’s three-year deal is up for renewal in 2027 and both the Spaniard and the club are understood to be keen for him to extend his six-and-a-half year stay, regardless of what happens between now and the summer.
Arsenal have the chance to increase their Premier League lead over Manchester City to 12 points when they entertain Bournemouth in Saturday’s lunch-time kick-off.
They are also on the brink of the Champions League semi-finals following a last-gasp 1-0 win in the first leg of their last-eight match at Sporting Lisbon.
Quizzed about his future, Arteta, still hunting just the second trophy of his reign, said: “There’s no news on that.
“We have no time to discuss that now. The full focus is on what we have to do from here until the end of the season.
“I am fully committed and really happy and I feel good. My family is good and I still have so much ambition to do with this football club, and for now we are in a good place.
“This job is about the present and what you do on the day. Give your very best and feel that you are the person that can lead and inspire the group to achieve great things for the club.
“And I feel that way and hopefully I will feel that way for the rest of the week, and with a great outcome at the end of the season.”
Across north London, Roberto De Zerbi knows his first mission is to keep Tottenham in the Premier League but believes the club has everything to challenge for the title in the future.
De Zerbi will take charge of his maiden fixture as Spurs head coach on Sunday away at Sunderland with his new team on a 13-match winless league run and embroiled in a shock survival battle.
Tottenham have not been relegated since 1977 but De Zerbi is the third man to sit in the managerial hotseat this season and even though he is focused on the final seven matches of a difficult campaign, he plans to aim high in N17 after he signed a five-year contract.
Asked about his relatively short spells at Brighton and Marseille, De Zerbi pushed back: “I stayed three years in Sassuolo and then I left (Shakhtar) from Ukraine when the war started.
“In Brighton I left for different problems and in Marseille maybe the same, (but) I would like to stay four or five (years), for a long time.
“In my plan, for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I’m not speaking about titles because it’s not the right moment now, but (I want) to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level.
“First of all it has to be clear to everyone. I want to work in the Premier League and I believe I deserve to work in the Premier League, but the main sense of my work is more than the league.
“If I sign my contract in April I have to be ready to stay, no matter what, in the next season. I want to stay focused on Sunderland and the other six games, but my idea is very clear.”
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