Mikel Arteta has responded stiffly to Rio Ferdinand’s claims, suggesting some of the opinions in the media “are not very positive”.
Earlier in the week, Rio Ferdinand stirred up quite the storm after suggesting on his podcast that Mikel Arteta would readily leave Arsenal for Manchester United. The topic created plenty of discussions on other social media channels as everyone eagerly awaited Arteta’s response.
Ferdinand said, “Arteta would leave Arsenal to join Man United, 100 per cent. No one is saying it’s happening but if Man United in a wild dream said, ‘do you know what, Erik ten Hag, thank you?’ or Erik ten Hag has been poached by Bayern Munich, and he goes there, and then Man United say top of the list is Arteta. Arteta is going in and saying to the lads, ‘listen guys, it’s been emotional but I’ve got to move, I’ve got to go’.”
During Arsenal’s pre-game press conference and in the embargo addition, Arteta was directly asked this question by a reporter and asked for a response. He did give an answer as his quotes on Daily Mirror do not directly talk about Ferdinand but indicate a trend the Spaniard does not like.
Arteta said, “No, I think it’s part of of our job that we are exposed to the media, to the pundits. And they have their opinions. The only thing is that we normally highlight the ones that are not very positive. So we highlight a lot of the time when they say great things, make great comments and great points.”
“These are things said like in a really good way and with a vision of someone who has the experience. I think if we do this, it is much better. Sometimes, though, we focus too much on the negative views.”
In truth, Arteta did phenomenally well at Arsenal when they were down and out a few years ago. He, alongside Edu Gaspar, has expertly planned everything perfectly, and the Gunners are now one of the world’s most vital and valuable teams.
Fans have already debated whether the factor of Manchester United comes into this equation that would tempt Arteta towards a switch to Old Trafford. The Spaniard has no shortage of interest, with Barcelona also keen. But the likelihood of him leaving Arsenal is slim to none.
Arteta continues spearheading a brilliant project in north London and will continue doing his work now. Arsenal could also hand him a new contract to secure his future in the long run, meaning that even if someone like Manchester United comes knocking on his door, the Spaniard is unlikely to answer.