The two ridiculous Arsenal facts which sum up Arteta contract transformation inspired by Liverpool ‘goal’ | OneFootball

In the 22 months between August 2018 and June 2020, no existing Arsenal player signed a contract extension.

Some joined the post-Wenger revolution in that interim and nailed their colours to the mast of Unai Emery, including that remarkably eclectic list of summer 2019 recruits: Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba, Nicolas Pepe, Kieran Tierney and David Luiz.

But for almost two years there was an understandable reluctance among those already at the Emirates to devote any more of their future to a failing institution.

That all changed ahead of Mikel Arteta’s first full season in charge. Martinelli, Luiz and Bukayo Saka all renewed their deals, ultimately leading to the most important commitment of all: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for three more years.

Some unthinkably attractive men were infatuated with the idea that Aubameyang was the player Arteta should build his Arsenal revolution around, that he was the FA Cup hero who could lead their resurgence by example.

He ended up becoming one of the forefathers of Arsenal’s obsession with contract terminations.

Yet that 2020 summer marked a crucial juncture for the club, when the realisation dawned that as important as signing brilliant new players and timing the sales of expendables ones perfectly will always be, the key is often simply to keep your strong core in place.

It was what Liverpool seemed to realise in 2019 – when Arsenal’s chief contract negotiator Huss Fahmy seemed to book the calendar year off.

The Reds won 40 and lost just three of their 50 Premier and Champions League games across those 12 months, winning the latter and forming the basis of the second and fourth biggest points tallies in English top-flight history. And they did it in the year they signed Sepp van den Berg, Harvey Elliott, Adrian and Andy Lonergan.

But the players who penned new contracts at Anfield in 2019 underlined Liverpool’s growth into an elite club whose talents would not simply be picked off (at least until one of them downloaded Duolingo and started talking to Jude Bellingham): Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Divock Origi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joel Matip and James Milner.

“Our goal is to keep the team together,” Jurgen Klopp said at the end of that absurd 2019/20 season. “The boys are currently at a great age for football. The team has been exceptionally consistent for two and a half years. We play every game as if it were the last one.”

It is a compelling description of Arsenal in 2025. This year has seen Gabriel Magalhaes (27), Myles Lewis-Skelly (19) and William Saliba (24) all pledge their allegiance to the three-time consecutive runners-up Gunners for at least the next five years, with Saka (24) expected to follow suit.

These are among the best players either in their position or their age group in the world, deciding that there is no better place to fulfil their potential and objectives than this corner of north London.

And the push from Andrea Berta does not end there. Negotiations are being held with Declan Rice (26) and Jurrien Timber (24) as Arsenal seek to solidify these foundations for the long term.

They are the only Premier League club with not a single player whose contract expires in 2026. And once the Saka confirmation arrives, just Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard will be on deals which run out in 2027 with no in-built option to extend for a further year.

That emphasises the stark transformation Arteta has helped oversee in Arsenal’s off-field operations, which has underpinned their on-pitch excellence. The biggest trophies really should come soon, but that the players clearly believe it is an extraordinary enough change already from just six years ago.