Mikel Arteta gives two reasons why Arsenal and Barcelona claims have upset him
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that he is “upset” about unfounded talk over a Gunners exit because he does not like his personal matters shared.
The Spanish press suggested over the weekend that he could walk out on the North London club at the end of the season. It was reported that he could potentially take the reins from Xavi at Barcelona - who has already announced that he will leave the Catalan giants come June.
Arteta was asked about a potential switch to the Camp Nou and claimed he was left “upset” by speculation over his commitment to the Gunners. He responded: “No. That’s totally fake news.
“What I read yesterday I don’t know where it’s coming from. I’m really upset about it. I could not believe it. I don’t know where it’s coming from. I think we have to be very careful when you talk about personal things especially. I’m in the right place.”
Probed further about why he was upset, Arteta claimed he was not comfortable with personal aspects being publicised, while he would want to tell Arsenal fans himself if he was to leave.
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He added: “One is a consequence of the other. First of all I’m really cautious when I talk publicly about my personal things. When someone puts a statement about what we’ve done personally.
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“Secondly because I don’t think someone deserves to hear news like that. I’ve always said completely the opposite. That’s why I feel upset.”
Arteta has been in charge at the Emirates Stadium since replacing Unai Emery in December 2019. He has overseen 210 matches, winning 124.
The 41-year-old lifted the FA Cup during his debut campaign and had the Gunners challenging for the Premier League title in each of the past two seasons. Arteta has a year-and-a-half left to run on his current contract in North London.
The Spaniard has confirmed that while talks over a renewed deal are yet to get underway, he is not particularly concerned. He said: “No we haven’t [discussed a new contract], this is something that will happen naturally when it happens if it has to happen. There is a lot to do here as well. You can feel it that we want more we’re not satisfied.”
In the meantime, Barcelona will launch their search for a new manager following Xavi’s shock announcement. They could potentially face competition from Liverpool as they too aim to find a new boss after Jurgen Klopp confirmed he would be leaving Anfield in the summer.
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