With the plumes of red smoke still fresh in the north London air from Sunday’s euphoric trophy parade, Arsenal‘s attention swiftly turns to building on their Premier League title triumph.
If manager Mikel Arteta needs reminding of how a club’s rise can quickly be offset by an unexpected nosedive, he need only look at the difficulties Liverpool faced last season. Arne Slot’s sacking at the weekend was a year after lifting the Premier League trophy.
Arteta, whose powerbase at Emirates Stadium has increased after leading the club to their first domestic title in 22 years, has a plan in place – and it is now up to the club to execute the Spaniard’s summer blueprint.
Following Saturday’s heartbreaking Champions League final defeat by Paris St-Germain, the Gunners boss said there are some “important decisions” to make in order to take the club to the next level.
Here, BBC Sport looks at these key issues in the coming weeks, including a transfer wishlist featuring Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers and Bournemouth‘s Eli Junior Kroupi.
New deal for Arteta
The priority for Arsenal this summer is to finalise a new contract with Arteta, whose current deal expires at the end of next season.
BBC Sport revealed last month that talks over fresh terms were shelved in order for the club to focus on the end of the campaign.
With Arsenal‘s historic season now over, the process will pick up again during the summer.
Nothing is expected to be finalised before Arteta returns from holiday.
But it is understood that there was positive progress during initial conversations, amid expectation within the Emirates that it is a case of when, not if, the 44-year-old renews.
Despite this, there remains an air of caution at Arsenal, although club officials are fully focused on reaching a final agreement well before the start of next season.
Sources have told BBC Sport the new contract, which is likely to be a minimum of three years, would be worth a major increase on his current wages.
Arteta earns £10m a season, plus a further £5m upon Champions League qualification.
Credit: bbc.com
