Two calls from Saudi Arabia, one answer
Al-Ittihad rang. Al-Nassr rang. Mikel Arteta turned down both, and Arsenal are now moving to make sure nobody else gets the chance.
The head coach is closing on a new long-term contract at the Emirates, TEAMtalk reported this morning. Talks have been running since June and neither side has wavered. Both Saudi Pro League clubs made contact over the summer after losing their coaches, Sergio Conceicao having left Al-Ittihad and Jorge Jesus having departed Al-Nassr. Sources say it became obvious quickly that Arteta had no interest in the conversation.
He is 44 and has been in charge since 2019, long enough to become the longest-serving manager in the Premier League. Arsenal, second in the table, treat him as the centre of everything they plan next.
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Barcelona looked, then stayed put
The one club that could have complicated this did nothing. Barcelona still view Arteta as a coach they might bring back at some point, and he has never pretended that a job in Spain holds no appeal for him later in his career. He spent his early coaching years learning from that side of the game.
They did not move this summer. Hansi Flick was handed a new two-year contract and the project continued as it was. Arsenal were left without a rival for the signature they wanted, and the negotiation stopped being a negotiation.
Three signatures queued behind his
Sporting director Andrea Berta is not stopping at the manager. Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber are all in talks over fresh terms, with each of their current deals running to the summer of 2028. Arsenal want the spine locked down on the same timeline as the coach who built it.
That is the point of the exercise. A club that spent years being rebuilt is now trying to freeze the rebuild in place, manager first, then the players he trusts most. Arteta gave his answer to Riyadh months ago. The paperwork is the part still outstanding.
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