ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta has signed a new contract with the club that will see him stay at the Emirates until the 2024/25 season.
However, famous broadcaster and Gunners fan Piers Morgan is angered by the contract extension.
Meanwhile, former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has pleaded with the North London outfit to stay away from Paulo Dybala.
And stay tuned as we will have the latest team news as the Gunners prepare to welcome Leeds to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Keep up to date with all of the latest updates from the Emirates in our live blog…
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Keown criticises Arteta contract timing
Arsenal legend Martin Keown has criticised the club’s timing of boss Mikel Arteta’s new contract.
He told talkSPORT: “They’ve just lost three games and won three games. I thought they might have waited until the summer because we are now at a crossroads and got a huge game coming up.
“They obviously feel there’s no desire for any change, they’re happy. I think they’re right.
“I probably would’ve waited until the summer.
“Perhaps there was a clamour for the manager from other clubs, we don’t know what’s happening internally, they wanted to meet his needs and felt no reason for any kind of change.
“We could’ve been looking at a very different situation had they not beaten Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham all in one week.
“If they’d been announcing after losing those games it might have been a different situation.
“I think it’s good for the players, get the man in and settled in place. The person in charge has to be looked after and resolved.
“It feels like the start of the journey.”
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The Hammers are in desperate need of a centre-forward and explored a deal for Broja, 20, during the January window but could not make it happen.
David Moyes and his players have been impressed by the Albanian ace during his three appearances against them this season.
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Piers Morgan fumes at Arteta contract
Arsenal fan Piers Morgan has hit out at the club for handing Mikel Arteta a new long-term contract before the end of the season.
The Gunners gaffer, 40, has penned a contract extension until 2025 at the Emirates as they close in on a return to the Champions League.
After consecutive wins against Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham, Arsenal sit in fourth spot with four games to play.
The North London outfit are in pole position to qualify for Europe’s premier competition, with rivals Tottenham two points behind them in fifth.
And should results go their way this weekend, they could be five points clear of Antonio Conte’s men going into next week’s derby.
But despite Arsenal’s positive form, Morgan has questioned the timing of Arteta’s new deal.
Taking to social media, he tweeted: “WHAT? Maybe wait until he achieves something? Why is he getting this now?”
Behind the scenes on Arteta’s renewal
Arsenal will be dropping more clips on boss Mikel Arteta’s contract renewal in the future.
Premier League managers’ salaries revealed
ARSENAL have awarded Mikel Arteta a lucrative £8.3million a year deal to keep him at the club.
But it only makes him the FIFTH highest earning Premier League manager.
SunSport exclusively revealed in February that Arsenal were preparing to hand Arteta the same salary Arsene Wenger was on during his final year at the Emirates.
They have now done so – but his new annual wage of £8.3m is still less than HALF of old pal Pep Guardiola’s pay packet.
The Manchester City boss rakes in £19m a year – but is repaying the club in the form of Premier League titles.
The Spaniard is on course to secure City a fourth league in five seasons – although Liverpool are hot on their heels.
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How Arsenal could line up against Leeds
Arsenal could name an unchanged side from the team that beat West Ham 2-1 at the London Stadium for Sunday’s clash against Leeds.
The Gunners boosted their chances of Champions League qualification after edging the Hammers to move two points clear of Tottenham in fourth.
But Arsenal were dealt a blow prior to kick-off after Ben White was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Bukayo Saka was then withdrawn late into the second half to spark fears off a possible knock.
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Arteta wants to keep best
One of Mikel Arteta’s first objectives after penning a new deal is to retain Arsenal’s best players.
He said: “What we want to do is improve the team, the squad. Obviously, we know there’s not one player who doesn’t have a margin to improve or evolve in this way of playing or his career.
“We want to retain our best players, for sure and we want to add into that, more quality and depth to be competitive.”
Arteta’s contract surprise
Mikel Arteta has revealed when he was offered a new contract by Arsenal’s hierarchy.
He said: “The club offered me the contract on the day we lost three matches.
That day I said ‘chapeau and we go’. That doesn’t happen in football. That’s a part of what they think, the belief they have in myself, the coaching staff and what we’re doing.
“The people that we have now owning and leading this football club.
“I hadn’t seen it, and I just got emotional when I saw it because I thought ‘these guys are serious and these guys are committed, so I’d better push forward’.”
Stay away from Dybala
Paulo Dybala isn’t the answer to Arsenal’s striker issues.
That’s the view of Gunners legend Kevin Campbell who told Football Insider: “If you are coming with an injury record, Arsenal isn’t the place to come.
“It seems that injury problems are always exposed at Arsenal.
“Injuries are part and parcel of the game but I think Arteta and Edu should go younger, quicker and fitter. Dybala isn’t the answer.”
Be on guard
Former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit has ripped into Pep Guardiola for failing to lead Man City to the Champions League final.
Petit said on RMC: “Guardiola was a nervous wreck. He kept hassling Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden.
“He needs to let his players focus on their game. But it was crazy – he was on edge throughout.
“You could see that his assistants sometimes didn’t even dare answer him back.”
Piers questions Arteta contract extension
Piers Morgan has questioned why Arsenal decided to give Mikel Arteta a new contract.
Morgan reckons Arteta needs to achieve something before getting rewarded with a new deal.
He tweeted: “WHAT? Maybe wait until he achieves something? Why is he getting this now?”
Saliba’s Arsenal career examined
Paul Merson has given his theory why William Saliba hasn’t prospered at Arsenal.
Merson said: “There must be a reason he’s been loaned out three times by the club. Was he getting ripped in training?
“I don’t see why he’s still on loan otherwise. Arsenal paid a lot of money for him but I think if anyone offers them their money back they would take it right now.
“It’s almost three years he’s been there now and he can’t get a look in. Maybe Mikel Arteta has watched him train and decided he’s nowhere near ready.”
Arteta’s contract extension ‘means nothing’
Mikel Arteta signing a new contract means nothing as he’ll get sacked for not delivering the goods next season.
That’s the opinion of talkSPORT host Simon Jordan.
Jordan 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.”
Champions League football goals
Edu has stressed how important playing Champions League football is to Arsenal’s progress.
He added: “In order to do that, we have to be playing in the Champions League.
“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.”
Ed’ing in the right direction
Arsenal transfer supremo Edu reckons Mikel Arteta’s contract extension has come at the ‘perfect time.’
And Edu revealed that he and Arteta now want to take the club to the next level.
Edu said: “I think the timing is perfect.
“I really believe the message will be a big lift to everyone. To the fans, to the club, to the players, to Mikel.”
“We want to take the club to the next level and to compete really with the top teams.”
Arteta in transfer blow
Mikel Arteta has been dealt a blow in his pursuit of Noussair Mazraoui after the Ajax star reportedly “completed” a Bayern Munich medical.
Arsenal were said to be keen on recruiting the out of contract right-back to provide competition to Takehiro Tomiyasu.
But after talks with Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann and CEO Oliver Kahn, Mazraoui has decided to link up with the Bundesliga champions.
The 24-year-old has now successfully completed his medical with the club, according to German outlet Bild.
And while he is yet to officially put pen to paper, terms between Bayern and Mazraoui are fully agreed.
An official announcement is expecting in the coming days, forcing Arsenal to pursue alternative targets.
Arteta speaks on Arsenal fans
Arsenal fans are at the core of Mikel Arteta’s decision to extend his contract at the club.
He said: “For me they have been the tsunami of this project.
“For two seasons we haven’t had them, and without them it was impossible to do it.
“So the moment we have had them close to us, and they have sensed and felt that energy and that way of now representing the club to a much deeper level, that’s when a sense of belonging from the fans is natural.
“That’s why everything has clicked in my opinion, to go and perform to the level that we are doing now.”
Arteta’s contract joy
Speaking of his joy, Arteta told Arsenal’s website: “I’m excited, grateful and really, really happy today.
“When I spoke to Josh he could see the club at the same point and he wanted to take the club the way I wanted to do it.
“So everything that he’s said, and that Stan [Kroenke] has said when I’ve been together with both of them, they’ve always delivered.
“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.
“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.”
Mikel Arteta signs new contract
Mikel Arteta has signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal until 2025 with the club on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League.
The 40-year-old, who took charge of the Gunners in December 2019, had been tied down at the Emirates until 2023.
But with Arsenal sitting in fourth spot with four games to go, the club have rewarded him with a bumper new contract.
Thierry Henry named as idol
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has been named as one of Man United striker Anthony Elanga’s idols.
The United attacker told Sky Sports: “Thierry Henry is someone who I liked watching when I grew up as well.
“He could play left wing, right-wing, as a striker. He was strong, quick and could finish.
“I still look at his clips today and try to learn something from the way he used to play and try to add it to my game.
“I grew up watching United as well, so the likes of Wayne Rooney and obviously Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Arsenal in Europe
Arsenal had a major presence in Europe last night despite not being in any competition.
Gunners loanees Reiss Nelson who plays for Feyenoord went up against Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba’s who were shipped out to Marseille this season in the Europa Conference League semi-final last night.
Saliba and Guendozi were pictured after the game having a catch up.
And the pairs rendevous was caught by Feyenoord who shared a clip of them speaking on Twitter, with the caption: “A Gunner respects a Gunner.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
