Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta dismisses Barcelona speculations: “Totally fake news”

With Barcelona set to part ways with Xavi Hernandez at the end of the season, the search for a new manager to take over in the summer is already underway.

And of the names being heavily linked with a move to Barcelona is Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. The former midfielder is held in high regard by club president Joan Laporta and has been on the Catalans’ radars for some time now.

In fact, reports earlier in the day even suggested Arteta was considering the prospect of leaving Arsenal at the end of the season, which would put him in the frame to succeed Xavi at Barça.

Arteta lashes out at rumours

However, Arteta has come out and squashed the rumours of him considering leaving Arsenal for Barcelona at the end of the season, calling the speculations as fake news and untrue.

“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. You have to be cautious when you talk about personal things,” said Arteta at a press conference, as quoted by GOAL.

The links to Arteta emanated due to his past association with Barcelona and the fact that he started out as the assistant of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, before moving to Arsenal, where has done a solid job.

The Spaniard has turned the Gunners into contenders for the Premier League title and has his team playing an attacking, attractive brand of football with a squad brimming with young and talented footballers.

Arteta’s contract with Arsenal runs until the summer of 2025, but if his statements are something to go by, it appears that he has no plans on leaving the Emirates for Barcelona at the moment.

Whether the situation changes in the months to come remains to be seen.