For Arteta, building a legacy of sustained success is the ambition. Winning once is impressive, but repeating it is the mark of a truly great team.
With the Spaniard’s contract up at the end of the next season, the immediate priority for all parties is to agree an extension.
That process is under way and will accelerate after the Champions League final, with a will from all parties to have the new contract tied up before next season.
The expectation is Arteta will sign a new contract that will earn him a sharp increase on his current financial package of a basic £10m per season plus a further £5m for Champions League qualification.
There has been some internal talk, too, about Berta possibly engaging in conversations to extend his contract having been linked with potential moves to Saudi Arabia.
Arsenal are a club now moulded in Arteta’s image, with his job title changing from head coach to manager in September 2020.
The manager sits on the football leadership team with Kroenke, Garlick, James King and Berta. It is that five-man group that makes decisions on the direction of football at the club.
Arteta’s coaching staff are like him – passionate and intense, with even the analysts shouting from the stands.
And the manager was joined last summer by long-term friend and former team-mate Gabriel Heinze, who is an assistant coach. The Argentine has had a big impact this season, and has introduced a motivational huddle for defenders before each game.
Arteta is very hands-on and knows when to make an impact on his players with a strong telling-off and when he should coach.
But he has become good at delegating, too, with all of the backroom team delivering sessions so the squad don’t get tired of hearing one voice.
And now Arteta has guided this group to silverware, the focus can shift to the next campaign.
Arsenal are keen to recruit a midfielder, left-winger and striker, but we should expect a sharper focus on outgoings after last year’s £250m splurge.
The only senior player to depart last summer was Albert Lokonga.
This time, Arsenal have already agreed to sell defender Jakub Kiwior to Porto for an initial £14.7m. It is understood Christian Norgaard, who arrived in a deal worth up to £15m, will be allowed to leave, and the club are expected to listen to offers for Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira.
Arsenal are also giving consideration to a significant homegrown sale that would represent ‘pure profit’ on their balance sheet.
There have been internal discussions about selling Nwaneri, who is on loan at Marseille, or Lewis-Skelly though the latter’s emergence as a genuine central-midfield option for Arteta in recent weeks has been noted.
There is also a desire to keep the wage bill manageable. That is easier said than done, though, with defender Jurrien Timber and midfielder Declan Rice both in line for new deals in the not-too-distant future and Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Lewis-Skelly, Saka and Nwaneri having recently renewed their contracts.
With lucrative bonuses to be paid to players in light of this season’s success – not to mention the expectation Arteta’s salary will move closer to the £20m mark – keeping a rein on the club’s overheads will not be easy.
There is a growing sense behind the scenes the club must start planning a squad rebuild given a number of key players are in their late 20s.
This summer, they have a keen interest in Leicester teenager Jeremy Monga, and with Dowman, Marli Salmon, Edwin and Holger Quintero and Lewis-Skelly all in their teens, there is hope the rebuild may not prompt a noticeable drop in levels.
