Arteta Calm on Contract Talks Ahead of City Clash

Mikel Arteta is walking into the new season with Manchester City on the horizon and his own future still officially unresolved. You would not know it from his demeanour.

Back in May, co-chairman Josh Kroenke made it clear that tying down the Spaniard to a new deal sat high on the club’s to-do list. The weeks have passed, the curtain-raiser in Cardiff is here, and the contract remains unsigned. Panic? Not from the man in the dugout.

Facing the media before the clash with City, Arteta cut a relaxed figure and moved quickly to calm any nerves among the fanbase.

“They [the fans] don't have to worry about any of that, because I want to be here. I am extremely happy. I feel very grateful to work with the people that I work with and when we have the possibility, we will resolve that. And that's it."

No drama. No brinkmanship. Just a manager who sounds utterly settled.

For Arteta, the real noise is elsewhere. The transfer market, not his contract, is where his attention sits as the season kicks off.

“There is always another priority, I think! And that's the way we have been treating it, I think because everybody feels comfortable that the time on the contract is not going to be an issue.”

The message is clear: the club can juggle squad building and long-term planning without letting either slip. Arteta sees no tension with those above him. Quite the opposite.

“I think because my will, certainly, is to be here and I am very happy here. My feeling from the club is the same one. That is why everyone is doing things in a really organic way.”

No ticking clock. No public negotiating. Just a manager convinced he is in the right place, with a board that, by his account, feels exactly the same.

The contract can wait. Manchester City cannot.