Arsenal will be looking to do several key pieces of business during the upcoming summer transfer window. The Gunners recently came agonizingly close to collecting their first Premier League title in 20 years. Nevertheless, Manchester City triumphed once again and collected their fourth consecutive English top-flight championship.

Because they came so close to the title, Arsenal needs to just make a few adjustments to the squad ahead of the 2024/25 season. The Gunners currently have one of the most valuable, yet still young, squads in the Premier League. They also have a fairly reliable and consistent starting XI. A couple of new players, however, could give Arsenal the necessary boost to finally leapfrog City in the standings.

Although the squad needs new players, the Gunners want to address another issue first. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is entering his final year under contract at the club. As one of the more highly rated young coaches in the world, Arsenal brass wants to make sure it ties down Arteta before making other moves.

Arsenal willing to reward Arteta with massive new contract

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims a deal between the two sides should not be an issue. Despite outside interest, Arteta wants to remain in north London. Arsenal is also keen to give their manager a new deal and are willing to reward the Spaniard with a huge contract.

According to Romano, the Gunners will soon make Arteta one of the highest-paid coaches in all of Europe. The 42-year-old coach reportedly rakes in around $12 million per season. While this is a strong salary, other Premier League managers make more. Now-former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and City manager Pep Guardiola both earn significantly more than Arteta. Even Manchester United‘s Erik ten Hag has higher wages than the Arsenal boss.

Some may argue that Arteta does not necessarily deserve to be paid as well as some of his peers. After all, the Spaniard has only delivered one significant trophy since joining the club in late 2019. Nevertheless, the Gunners are heading in the right direction and need to keep hold of Arteta to remain on the right path.

Gunners need trophies, but showing obvious signs of growth under Arteta

Arteta first entered the fray at a time when Arsenal was a mess. The squad was struggling under former manager Unai Emery and desperately needed wholesale changes. Despite some early growing pains, Arsenal successfully revamped nearly their entire first team. Only a handful of players who were brought in before Arteta’s arrival remain with the club.

As seen with Chelsea, completely changing players in a team is not an easy task. Nevertheless, Arsenal qualified for the Champions League in 2023 for the first time in seven years. The Gunners have also increased their Premier League point totals in each of the last four seasons. The coach currently has the highest win rate of any manager in the team’s illustrious history as well.

Arsenal has an identity under Arteta. The Spaniard has his team playing some of the more attractive soccer in Europe. Not only are they easy on the eyes, but Arsenal is balanced as well. They had the best defensive record in the Premier League this past season, while also still scoring 91 top-flight goals, second-best in the league behind City.

Trophies are surely needed to measure the success of a manager, and Arteta’s situation is no different. However, potentially losing the coach would be detrimental to the team’s ongoing progress. Assuming the new bumper contract is sorted out, the Spaniard will need to lift silverware as soon as possible. There is certainly a buzz around the team that such triumphs are only a matter of time.

PHOTOS: IMAGO