Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reaffirmed his commitment to the club in the face of speculation linking him with the Barcelona job.
Barca boss Xavi has confirmed he will step down from his position in the summer and it was quickly speculated that long-term target Arteta could be brought in as his replacement. Reports in Spain even went as far as to claim Arteta had told those close to him he was thinking of terminating his contract with Arsenal this summer.
Further reports quickly rubbished the rumours, however, and Arteta has now lashed out at the claims about his future.
“No,” he laughed when asked if he could leave Arsenal this summer. “That’s totally fake news.
“What you read yesterday, I don’t know where it’s coming from. It’s totally untrue. I’m really upset about it.
“I could not believe [the report]. I don’t know where it’s coming from. It has no sources, nothing. I think we have to be very cautious when we talk about personal things.
“I’m in the right place. I’m with the right people. I feel really good about it. As I have said many times, I’m immersed in a beautiful journey with this football club, these players, the staff, our people, and there is still a lot to do.”
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Asked whether his frustration was directly over fictitious claims being made about him or more out of concern for how the Arsenal fans may react, Arteta insisted it’s both.
“One is a consequence of the other,” he continued. “I’m really cautious about when I talk publicly about my personal things, and so when someone puts out a statement saying something that I said or did, it is upsetting.
“Nobody deserves to hear that in news like that. I’ve always been really straight and I’ve always said the complete opposite – how happy I am, how grateful I am and how much I enjoy where I am right now. That’s why I’m upset.”
Arteta’s current Arsenal contract runs until 2025, and while he confessed he has not yet spoken about a renewal, he insisted negotiations are “something that will happen naturally, when it happens, if it has to happen.”
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