Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has dismissed suggestions he could take over at Barcelona, as reported by Football365 over the past week.
After a summer where the Catalan giants activated several economic levers for the advancement of the club in the short-term, the fact that they have been eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage has put a spotlight on Xavi Hernandez’s future.
Considering the Arsenal boss’ time at La Masia as a young player, coupled with his Cruyffian-inspired footballing ideologies, it was suggested to him in a press conference that he has been earmarked as the perfect fit for the Barcelona job.
Furthermore, Arteta has already overseen a rebuilt at Arsenal, which is still required at a Blaugrana side that are far from the finished article.
The aforementioned factor is yet another reason why the reports have potentially circulated about the Spanish giants being keen on his arrival imminently.
While some sources suggested that Mikel Arteta would fancy becoming Barcelona boss, he indirectly rejected such claims, ahead of the Gunners’ upcoming Europa League fixture against FC Zurich.
“Barcelona now, they are in a really good path now, with a phenomenal coach (Xavi Hernandez). You have to be very respectful of that”, he said, as quoted by Tashan Deniran-Alleyne of Football.London.
Ultimately, Arteta finds himself in a potential title race for the first time during his spell at the Emirates Stadium.
After finishing 8th twice and 5th last term, the expectation amongst the club’s fanbase after a fruitful summer window was to see their side return to the Champions League, after making a meal of their final few fixtures in the league in the previous campaign.
Considering Arsenal are most certainly overperforming so far this term, sitting at the summit of the league table, one can imagine that entertaining rumours about his exit is certainly not on Mikel Arteta’s agenda.
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