Graham Arnold rejects overwhelming overseas offers to remain Socceroos manager

Arnold’s management team finalized the final details of the new deal on Sunday night, with an official announcement expected Monday noon.

News Corp was told Arnold, 59, was being heavily pursued by clubs in Holland, Scotland and England and had also arranged an interview with a senior Asian Confederation national team in February.

Arnold’s massive new contract – which expires after the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States – comes after his breakthrough success in Australia’s World Cup campaign in Qatar late last year.

Football Australia sources claim Arnold’s new role will expand to include mentoring all Australian coaches, including under-17s, under-20s and under-23s.

An agreement in principle was reached between the two parties, although Arnold’s manager Tony Rallis continued to check the fine print late Sunday night.

Contract talks between the two parties were at times unsettled – particularly around Arnold’s manager – although a pressured federation had little choice but to keep the manager following his World Cup exploits.

There’s little dispute over the core principles of Arnold’s new deal. It also has what are referred to as “attainable” bonuses.

When asked to confirm the new deal, Rallis said: “Discussions are going well but it would be inappropriate for me to comment.

“I hesitate to discuss the matter out of respect for FA.”

Arnold will also play an important role in player identification.

Three clubs in Europe and England had submitted offers for Arnold.

Only a last-minute incident prevented the press conference on Monday.

Given the stellar success in Qatar, Arnold will be under pressure to repeat – if not better – those results over the next four years.

Arnold quickly gained the support of not only the football public but also the Australian sporting community.

News Corp announced in early December that FA risked losing Arnold overseas by blocking contact talks.

Socceroos players quickly and publicly came out to demand that FA keep Arnold.

A player based abroad confirmed he has the support of his stars and told his team-mates during the World Cup season that FA could be “fed” if the governing body doesn’t back Arnold.

Nearly 85 percent of respondents voted to keep Arnold in an online News Corp poll in December, which asked whether he should be kept.

Originally posted when Graham Arnold turns down bump offers from overseas to remain Socceroos manager due to rich deal