Mikel Arteta has denied reports that he will join Barcelona. He claimed he would not quit Arsenal. Reports in Spain said that he will succeed Xavi as Barcelona manager, but Arteta, who attended Barcelona’s academy as a young player, prefers to remain with Arsenal. He fared well as manager previous season, nearly defeating Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta on Barcelona rumours
Barcelona manager Xavi announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season and immediately Spanish news outlets started linking different managers to the club. Mikel Arteta is one of them.
Arteta, who is the boss of Arsenal, responded to a rumor about him leaving and becoming the manager of Barcelona. The Spanish manager was not happy about what he called ‘fake news.’
Arteta worked under Pep Guardiola at City and has done well as the manager of Arsenal. Last week, there were rumours that he told his agents he’s leaving Arsenal after this season to go to Barcelona. Arteta, who has a connection to Barcelona from when he was young, said he was surprised to hear about leaving Arsenal.
“That’s totally fake news I don’t know where it is coming from,” Arteta said.
“It’s totally untrue. I’m really upset about it. I could not believe it. They have no source, nothing. I think you have to be very cautious when you talk about personal things. I am in the right place, I am with the right people, I feel really good about it. I’m immersed in a beautiful journey with this football club, with these players and the staff. There is still a lot to do,” he added.
🚨 BREAKING — Mikel Arteta on links with Barcelona and his decision to leave Arsenal in June: “Fake news. Totally fake news”.
“I don’t know where it is coming from. It is totally untrue”.
“I am really upset about it. I could not believe it. No source, nothing”. pic.twitter.com/7Ye7gCE1B3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 29, 2024
Xavi shocked everyone by announcing he’s leaving the club just a year after helping Barcelona win La Liga. It was the first time they won in four years, and it happened after Lionel Messi left. But this season has been tough for Xavi, with problems on and off the field. They lost 5-3 to Villarreal, and now they’re 11 points behind the team at the top, Girona, and Real Madrid is 10 points ahead of them.
