Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta responds to Real Madrid links
Mikel Arteta insists he is ‘fully focused’ on his job at Arsenal as Real Madrid reportedly consider poaching the Spaniard.
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Under Arteta, Arsenal have won 20 of their 26 Premier League games this season to move five points clear at the top of the table.
Pep Guardiola’s former assistant left his role at Manchester City to join Arsenal in December 2019.
The Gunners won the FA Cup in Arteta’s first season in the club but only finished eighth in the Spaniard’s first full season in north London, leading to calls for Arsenal to sack their former midfielder.
Arteta survived those dark times and a late collapse last season to turn Arsenal into title contenders this term, with the Gunners five points ahead of Manchester City with 12 games remaining.
Real Madrid have taken note of Arsenal’s transformation and are reportedly interested in appointing Arteta as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor.
Madrid won the Champions League and La Liga last season but have fallen nine points behind arch-rivals Barcelona this term, sparking speculation over Ancelotti’s long-term future at the Bernabeu.
Asked about the speculation on Wednesday, Arteta said: ‘Managers and players can’t control what is written by the press.
‘What I can tell is that I’m fully focused on what I’m doing here and extremely proud and grateful to do what I’m doing in this football club. That’s it.’
Arteta was speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s first leg last-16 Europa League tie with Sporting Lisbon.
The 40-year-old was briefly in Barcelona’s academy as a teenager but left before making a first-team appearance. He did, however, play in La Liga for Real Sociedad before his 11-year spell in the Premier League.
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Article source: https://metro.co.uk/2023/03/08/arsenal-news-mikel-arteta-responds-real-madrid-links-18410015/