SM
Watford vs. Oxford Utd: 3 hrs 2 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta pours cold water on Barcelona rumours

:Headline: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta pours cold water on Barcelona rumours:
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insists that he is "extremely happy" in North London after being linked with the Barcelona job.
Sports Mole

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has insisted that he is "extremely happy" in North London amid links with the Barcelona job.

Reports from Spain had claimed that La Blaugrana have identified the 40-year-old as an ideal candidate to take control of the reins upon Xavi's departure in the future.

Xavi is not expected to leave Camp Nou for at least a few seasons yet, but it has been reported that Barcelona view Arteta as a potential successor in several years to come.

The Spaniard has led Arsenal to the top of the Premier League table with 31 points from 12 games this term after winning the FA Cup and Community Shield in his first half-season in charge.

Arteta was rewarded for his efforts with a new contract until 2025 back in May, and he affirmed that he has no plans to leave Arsenal during his pre-game press conference before Thursday's Europa League tie with FC Zurich.

The former midfielder was also full of praise for Xavi, claiming that his compatriot is doing a "phenomenal" job at Camp Nou, saying: "What I can say is that I'm extremely happy and proud to be where I am.

"Barcelona now are on a really good path. I think they have a phenomenal coach who is an absolute legend at the club and has lived the whole place. You have to be very respectful of that."

Arteta has not managed to finish higher than fifth with Arsenal during his time as head coach, placing eighth in 2019-20 and 2020-21 before missing out on Champions League qualification last term.

However, the ex-Everton man has posted a respectable record of 87 wins, 21 draws and 39 defeats from 147 games in charge of Arsenal, who round off Europa League Group A against Zurich tonight.

Following a 2-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Arsenal need to match or better the Eredivisie giants' result to finish top of the group and qualify for the last 16.

Arsenal sit two points clear of PSV, and victory would guarantee them a place in the last 16, but any other result would open the door for Ruud van Nistelrooy's side to usurp them and potentially hand the Gunners a playoff tie versus one of the third-placed Champions League teams.

Chelsea are lying in wait for the Gunners at the weekend, but Arteta will not shy away from picking a strong team on Thursday night, saying: "I don't approach games thinking that after half an hour or 45 minutes we will get the result that we want.

Certainly I will have a really competitive team out there. We missed the chance in Holland last week and Thursday is the last opportunity to achieve our goal."

Arsenal have been handed a double injury boost ahead of the contest with the Swiss champions, as Bukayo Saka and Oleksandr Zinchenko were both involved in training on Wednesday, with the former coming off against Nottingham Forest with a knock to the foot.

Mohamed Elneny is also back in full training after a rapid recovery from a hamstring injury, leaving Matt Turner and Emile Smith Rowe on the sidelines with their respective groin problems. body check tags ::

amp_article__498712 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2022-11-04 00:31:00:
html db last update - 2022-11-04 00:31:00 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Mikel Arteta future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Mikel Arteta

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Share this article now:
OZ
Read Next:
Arsenal handed double injury boost ahead of Zurich, Chelsea clashes
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Mikel Arteta Xavi Ruud van Nistelrooy Bukayo Saka Oleksandr Zinchenko Mohamed Elneny Matt Turner Emile Smith Rowe Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Arsenal handed double injury boost ahead of Zurich, Chelsea clashes
"Of course" - Van Nistelrooy makes huge managerial claim ahead of Amorim move

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Can Chelsea learn from Arsenal mistakes? Ex-scout suggests next phase for Estevao

1

CC

Amorim receives major injury boost ahead of Man United arrival

2

AR

Man Utd vs. Leicester: Head-to-head record and past meetings

NEW

3

MU

Preview: Nott'm Forest vs. Newcastle - prediction, team news, lineups

4

PN

Preview: Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona - prediction, team news, lineups

5

PR

Preview: Man Utd vs. Leicester - prediction, team news, lineups

6

PM

Will Chelsea or Arsenal win five-goal spectacular? Premier League GW11 predictions

7

WC

Preview: Mallorca vs. Atletico - prediction, team news, lineups

8

PM

Preview: Leganes vs. Sevilla - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PL

Preview: Spurs vs. Ipswich - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PS


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .