Barcelona in awe of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, but move unlikely – report

Journalist Luis Miguelsanz has reported via SPORT that Barcelona really love what Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal and while at one point in time, they were interested in his acquisition, the team from Catalonia have eventually accepted that he did not want to leave the London club.

Over the last few weeks, Barcelona have been linked with a host of managers as they look for life beyond Xavi.

Right now, former Germany head coach Hansi Flick is said to be leading the charge but there was a time when Barcelona looked at a few Spaniards as well.

Amidst this, they also put Arteta on the shortlist but decided not to go ahead as he does not want to leave Arsenal in the first place.

Arsenal preparing an extension for Arteta

Arteta has been at Arsenal since December 2019 and his contribution to the London club coupled with his learnings from Pep Guardiola at Manchester City has further strengthened his coaching credentials. 

Barcelona are a big fan of Mikel Arteta. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Unsurprisingly, Barcelona took notice of him, but the coach remains tied to Arsenal until 2025. According to information available to Barça, there is no indication that he intends to push for an early departure from Arsenal.

In fact, Arteta has a contract renewal offer on the table, and he publicly affirmed his commitment to staying with Arsenal. Any change in his stance would be unexpected. 

So what next for Barcelona?

Barça’s strategy is to proceed with a shortlist of coaches who have expressed clear interest in joining the club. 

Roberto De Zerbi is a favoured choice but at the same time, the German path is being explored, with three free-agent coaches in consideration: Flick, Thomas Tuchel, and Julian Nagelsmann.

In the upcoming weeks, discussions and meetings with coaches are expected to take place to finalize the decision.