ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta is reportedly open to managing Barcelona one day but is focused solely on his job in North London at present.
The Gunners gaffer is claimed to be on the Blaugrana’s shortlist to replace Ronald Koeman should Joan Laporta be crowned as the club’s next president.
Barcelona have been linked with bringing Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to the Nou CampCredit: Andy Hooper-The Daily Mail
Former Barca academy star Arteta is not believed to be the LaLiga outfit’s No1 choice, with Xavi understood to be their preferred option.
According to Football.London, the 38-year-old has had no contact with Barcelona, with the Spanish side having no interest in hiring him currently.
However they state that the club are admirers of his work, with Arteta welcoming the idea of being in charge at the Nou Camp in the future.
But with his contract at the Emirates not expiring until 2023, the ex-Everton skipper is only thinking of his current job.
And it has been alleged that Arsenal are even planning to extend Arteta’s stay at the end of the season should they finish the campaign on a positive note.
The Arsenal board are said to have full faith in Arteta – backing him in his decision to offload a number of players in January as part of his ‘cultural overhaul’.
Despite Arsenal sitting in tenth spot, with the club knocked out of both domestic cup competitions, the general consensus is that the team have improved under the tutelage of Arteta.
And while they will almost certainly miss out on the top four, they could still secure Champions League football next term by winning the Europa League.
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Arsenal got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday after easing to a 3-1 win against Leicester at the King Power Stadium.
Commenting on the victory, Arteta said: “The team is clearly improving, it’s taking a direction I like. It’s about consistency.
“We are still giving things to the opposition – we did it against Benfica and we did it today. It’s something we have to eradicate to give ourselves the best possible chance.
I”t’s about how we played against top-quality opposition. We have to impose ourselves, it doesn’t matter who we play against, we have to have courage. I’m proud about winning but obviously the way we’ve done it.
“The way we are playing looks much closer to what we want. The way the team is evolving, we have some consistency in recent months. All the time I say the same: it’s about consistency.”
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Mikel Arteta says he is very proud of the way Arsenal played against Leicester after perhaps their best performance this season
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
