Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has just signed a new contract with the Gunners and Charles Watts has discussed the deal and why the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain never had a realistic chance of luring him away.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Watts explained Arteta is well aware that he has unfinished business at the Emirates Stadium, having still failed to win a major trophy with the Gunners since that FA Cup final in his first few months in charge.
Since then, Arsenal have improved a lot, going to toe-to-toe with Manchester City in the title race for two years in a row and arguably being really unlucky not to have come out on top on both occasions, despite being up against a Pep Guardiola side widely regarded as one of the best ever.
Arteta will now want to deliver the Premier League title and the Champions League may be regarded as a serious target as well, with Arsenal continuing to look in great shape at the start of this season, leaving little reason for the Spanish tactician to seek a move away to another major European club, or at least not yet.
On Arteta’s new deal, Watts said: “There was never any doubt that it would happen. Both sides of the talks were confident it was always a matter of when, not if, the extension was signed.
“For Arsenal it’s obviously a big boost. They have kept hold of one of the best young managers in the world and can now continue to build on all the great work that has been done in the last five years.
“For Arteta though, these next three years are massive in terms of what he is trying to achieve at Arsenal.
“He has spent the past five years righting a ship that had drifted horribly off course and he has done that superbly.
“He and Edu have now built one of the most valuable squads on the planet and all the ingredients are in place to bring real success to the Emirates.
“But that success will now be measured in trophies. If the past five years were about getting Arsenal back into a position to compete with the best again, then the next three are about silverware.”
He added: “He is all about winning. That is what drives him on and he believes he can lead Arsenal to the biggest trophies. That’s why he signed this new contract.
“He was never going to go anywhere else, despite links to clubs like Barcelona and PSG, because he knows his job in north London is far from finished.”
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