Arsenal icon Ian Wright has praised the club for extending the contract of both Mikel Arteta and Jonas Eidevall. Arteta’s new deal for the men’s team runs until 2025, while Eidevall’s contract expires in 2024.
The Spaniard has guided his young squad to fourth in the Premier League, in pole position to claim the final Champions League place for next season. There’s still plenty of work for them to do, but it has shown an upturn in form since their back-to-back eighth-placed finishes.
On the new deal, the 40-year-old said: “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.
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“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.”
As for the women’s team, they currently sit just one point behind league leaders Chelsea, having put together an incredible run to get so close. Swedish coach Eidevall has been at the head of this, signing a new deal until 2024 at the same time as Arteta, saying: “ It allows me to continue to work for a club that I love so much and be around people that I really, really like, and to be able to achieve things together, so I’m really looking forward to that.”
And Arsenal hero Wright took to Twitter to praise the club’s decision to keep both managers on for a longer period of time. He said: “This is great, Well done @Arsenal @ArsenalWFC.”
Both sides still have a lot to play for this season, but their extensions show the faith in them, whether they reach their lofty goals or not. While the long-term future looks bright, a lot of that could depend on what happens in the short-term.
