Did Arsenal make the right decision by handing Arteta a new contract?
Simon Jordan believes manager Mikel Arteta signing a new deal at Arsenal on Friday (May 6) is meaningless. He believes the Spaniard’s future at the club is still dependent on what happens next season, and it could go either way.
Arteta and Jonas Eidevall signed new contracts on Friday, keeping them at the club until the end of the 2024-25 season. Both were rewarded for turning things around at the Emirates and taking the Gunners back to Europe.
However, Simon does not think the contract will be of any use if the Gunners do not do well next season. He was on talkSPORT when he claimed the manager would just end up getting more money if things go south and he gets sacked soon. He said:
“It’s really academic. I felt he earned another year. If Arsenal progress next year, he’ll be in situ. If they have a terrible season next year, all that’ll happen is he’ll get more money out of getting sacked. So I think it means very little.”
Arsenal offered contracts despite 3 defeats in a row, claims Arteta
While Simon Jordan believes the new contracts are meaningless, the Gunners want to show how much they trust their manager. Arteta revealed after penning the new contract that the club put the deal on the table following their three straight Premier League defeats in April.
He said on the club’s official website:
“The club offered me the new contract when we lost three matches. That doesn’t happen in football. That’s a part of what they think, the conversation I have, the belief that they have in myself, the coaching staff, in what we’re doing.”
He added:
“The people that we have now owning this football club and leading this football club, I haven’t ever seen it and I just got emotional when I saw it. I just said these guys are serious and they are committed so I better push forward.”
Arteta’s side are still involved in the race for the Champions League spots this season and are currently fourth. The Gunners are battling Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur right now, with the Blues sitting third in the league table and Spurs fifth. Arsenal are three points behind Chelsea and two points above Tottenham.
