Arsenal
Arteta Plays Down Manager Title as Maresca and Amorim Depart After Power Disputes
Arteta says a job title mattered little after Maresca and Amorim clashed with their clubs. He added.
This week’s departures of Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim after clashes with their clubs over power have reopened a debate about the meaning of job titles in English football. Mikel Arteta, who moved from head coach to manager early in his Arsenal tenure, said that the change in name carried little real weight for him.
The distinction has grown sharper as clubs adopt structures modelled on director of football or general manager-led approaches. The era when the “manager” ran the entire sporting operation, answering only to a chairman, is associated with figures such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, who were described in the past as the last of that omnipotent breed.
Amorim declared himself a “manager” not a “head coach” in what proved to be his final press conference with Manchester United on Sunday, having previously hinted at being denied new signings in January that he believed necessary to make his 3-4-3 system work. He was announced as Manchester United’s “head coach” when he was appointed in November 2024, a different formulation from the club’s historical appointments, which in its 148-year history were exclusively the “manager” aside from Wilf McGuinness in 1969.
Arteta was appointed Arsenal “head coach” in December 2019 but was formally promoted to “manager” within nine months. At the time Arsenal said “there is so much more that he can bring” than simply coaching the first-team squad, affording Arteta more influence and a closer working relationship with then-director of football Edu Gaspar and then-CEO Vinai Venkatesham.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s match against Liverpool, Arteta stressed the practical realities behind titles. “It was different at the time when they proposed to change the role and what they thought about in the areas that I could help probably more than they expected at the beginning,” he said. “At the end it’s about the relationships and the people, because we have formed great teams with very different qualities and some that have been more on certain things and when there is somebody that is much better than me on that, I let them do it. For me the title doesn’t really reflect the way we operate daily. I think it’s more important the people and the morale to really understand that let’s give each other the things that we can master and make us much better and the rest we just support that idea.”
When asked whether the promotion increased his confidence he replied, “Yes, [it gave a confidence boost], because I didn’t demand it,” underlining his view that relationships and responsibilities matter more than the label attached to the role.
Arsenal
Saka’s New Five-Year Deal Makes Him Arsenal’s Top Earner and a Premier League High-Drinker
Saka’s five-year deal to 2031 reportedly raises his pay to about £300,000 per week.
Bukayo Saka has agreed a new five-year contract at Arsenal that will run until the summer of 2031 and, according to The Guardian, lift his weekly pay to roughly £300,000. That figure would make him the club’s highest earner and place him among the best-paid players in the Premier League.
Saka was thought to be on £200,000 per week under his previous deal, which was due to expire in 2027, meaning the reported increase represents around 50 percent.
The Guardian’s reporting also identified Kai Havertz as Arsenal’s previous top earner, on about £280,000 per week. Saka, still only 24 and a homegrown player, has emerged as a clear leader at the club and regularly wears the captain’s armband when Martin Ødegaard is unavailable.
Club contract planning appears to continue beyond Saka. Ødegaard is set to be one of the next in line for fresh terms as his deal expires in 2028, while Declan Rice has been billed as the extension priority. Rice is described in reports as an all-action midfielder, “arguably the club’s most important and best player, transforming the complexion of the team with his inclusion.” Those same reports contrast the drop-off between Saka and Noni Madueke, or Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze, with the more marked difference when Rice is not on the pitch.
Saka will not eclipse Arsenal’s highest-paid player ever. Mesut Özil reportedly had six months remaining on a deal worth about £350,000 per week when he left the club in January 2021.
On the wider Premier League stage, Saka’s reported wage still sits below the division’s top earners. The Telegraph reported Mohamed Salah’s extension would see him earn up to £480,000 per week with bonuses and a base rate near £400,000 per week. The Guardian reported Erling Haaland’s nine-and-a-half-year deal as worth around £500,000 per week. Even among English players Saka is not the highest earner: Jack Grealish is reported to earn a similar £300,000 per week at Manchester City and Raheem Sterling about £325,000 per week, per The Times. The draft report notes that neither Grealish nor Sterling have been capped for England by Thomas Tuchel and are yet to play a single minute of Premier League football for their paymasters this season.
Arsenal
Saka Agrees Five-Year Deal to 2031 as Arsenal Secure Another Academy Pillar
Saka agrees a five-year deal to 2031 as Arsenal tie down another academy talent and core players 24.
Bukayo Saka has agreed a new five-year contract at Arsenal on an improved salary, keeping the 24-year-old firmly in the club’s plans and out of reach of several unnamed suitors.
Asked in November why he appeared relaxed about the situation, the Arsenal boss said: “I prefer that word, I think it is confidence,” he told assembled media. “What Bukayo has transmitted to me and the club, and Emeka [Obasi, Saka’s agent] as well, is that they want to continue to be here. “It’s a very healthy and powerful relationship. The journey that he has had at the club and what he has become is something we want to maintain. That is something that is going to leave a legacy at this club and he needs to fulfil that role.”
The Athletic reported the new deal runs until the summer of 2031. The exact figures were not disclosed, the report saying the wage will “recognise his standing” in the game.
The same report added that, should he ever become attainable, Saka is “wanted by the biggest clubs in world football.” For now, the prospect of the winger leaving the club he joined aged seven appears remote.
Arsenal have moved to lock down a group of academy graduates and key defenders in recent months. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri were tied to 2030, while William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães agreed new deals in the last seven months. Jurriën Timber is thought to be next in line for a renewal.
On the field, Saka’s form has had peaks and troughs. He teed up Arsenal’s first two goals of a 5–2 win at West Ham United on Nov. 30, 2024, taking his season total to 10 Premier League assists, but he did not register another top-flight assist until the 1–1 draw with Chelsea on Nov. 30, 2025. This season the regular penalty taker has three goals from open play and three top-flight assists, a return that Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson can better in the Premier League.
Statistically Saka remains influential. FBref shows him fourth for xG+xA per 90 (0.60) among regulars, behind Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Enzo Fernández and ahead of Hugo Ekitiké, correct as of Jan. 9, 2026.
His display against Liverpool underlined both his threat and recent frustrations, repeatedly skirting past Milos Kerkez and creating chances that teammates failed to convert. A first prolonged spell in the treatment room coincided with a dip in output, yet he has two assists in four appearances since Christmas Day. The presence of Noni Madueke should allow Arteta to manage Saka’s minutes and ease fitness concerns while adding competition.
Arsenal
Arsenal remain in the hunt for Marc Guéhi as City weigh January options
Arsenal’s renewed interest in Marc Guéhi grows as City weigh a January move after key injuries. Jan.
Arsenal have been linked again with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guéhi as Manchester City consider a January response to recent defensive injuries. Joško Gvardiol suffered a fractured shinbone that required surgery and is set to be out for months rather than weeks. Rúben Dias also picked up a muscular problem in the same match and is expected to be sidelined for between four and six weeks.
City’s increased focus on a short-term defensive signing has intensified interest in Guéhi, who has just six months remaining on his Palace contract. That attention has prompted other admirers to reassert their claims. Arsenal’s long-standing interest is reported to remain active, and the club are expected to view Guéhi as a summer option, though no timetable for a move has been confirmed.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has confirmed that the club will be forced to accept a suitable bid for their captain this month. Liverpool, who nearly secured Guéhi last summer, are named as keen but appear likely to only move for the defender when he becomes a free agent in July. Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also said to be considering approaches in the off-season.
Mikel Arteta is seeking every edge as Arsenal pursue their first Premier League title in 22 years and has stressed the club are “actively looking” at further additions this January. “The window is there. We’re Arsenal. Now, we have to be looking at it,” he declared last month.
That said, Arsenal’s immediate need at centre back is less acute. When fit, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães are automatic starters. The club recruited Piero Hincapié and Cristhian Mosquera in the summer to provide cover and flexibility; both are comfortable playing as deputies or at fullback. Natural fullbacks Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and Jurriën Timber also have experience of lining up through the middle, giving Arsenal depth even if they pursue Guéhi in future windows.
