Mikel Arteta ‘delighted’ as Arsenal star finally pens long-term contract, with ‘much more to come’ on pitch

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has expressed his delight at Gabriel Martinelli signing a new long-term contract with the club which will keep him there until summer 2027.

Martinelli has been the subject of contract talks for several months now. Arsenal needed to get his new deal over the line amid growing interest from major European clubs, including Barcelona.

Gunners supporters will have been getting slightly impatient about the lack of fresh terms. After all, it puts Martinelli’s future in doubt and makes the club more susceptible to offers from other teams.

Luckily for Arsenal, they have now gotten the winger’s future sorted. On Friday morning, they released the following statement: ‘Gabriel Martinelli has signed a new contract with the club, committing his long-term future with us.’

Martinelli’s new terms are understood to last until the end of the 2026-27 season.

When reacting to the announcement, both sporting director Edu and manager Arteta said they were ‘delighted’ about Martinelli opting to remain at the Emirates.

Edu told club media: “It’s great that Gabi has signed a new contract with us. The foundations of our squad continue to be built on young talent. So it’s great that Gabi has signed a new contract.

“Gabi is still just 21, and a player with big ability and personality. He is an important part of our future and we’re delighted that we have agreed a new contract.”

Mikel Arteta backs Gabriel Martinelli to get even better

Arteta went on to add that there is ‘much more to come’ from Martinelli on the pitch, which Arsenal fans would love to see.

“We’re delighted Gabi has signed a new long-term contract,” the Spaniard said. “Our supporters see his quality and energy every single time he puts on the shirt. And he’s the same every day in training, with his hard work and positive values.

“Gabi is still very young, so we know there’s still much more to come from him and it’s great that we’ll be on this journey together. We’re now excited to continue to develop his huge talent and look forward to seeing him perform with Arsenal in the years to come.”

While everyone involved with the club is happy about Martinelli renewing, attention will now turn to an important duo who also need extensions. They are Bukayo Saka and William Saliba.

Both of their current contracts expire in summer 2024. As such, there is the risk other sides may try and poach them from Arsenal later this year or in the 2024 January transfer window.

Manchester City are big admirers of Saka, while Saliba is picking up interest from French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal are thought to be in negotiations with both players. They are keen to tie them down to long-term deals just as they have done with Martinelli.

However, the sooner they are announced the better from an Arsenal perspective. New contracts will help to keep the likes of City and PSG at bay and force them to look at alternative targets.

Meanwhile, Arteta’s true feelings on the Jorginho transfer have been revealed.