March 09, (THEWILL) – Mikel Arteta has dismissed rumours linking him to Real Madrid, stating that he is solely focused on guiding Arsenal to English Premier League glory this season.
The Spanish coach has been widely praised for his work at the Emirates Stadium, and a report from Spain on Wednesday, suggested that he could replace under-pressure Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti.
However, Arteta refused to be drawn into the speculation, telling reporters at a pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League last-16 first-leg tie with Sporting CP that he is fully focused on his job in North London. “What I can tell you is that I’m fully focused on what I’m doing here and extremely proud and grateful to do what I’m doing in this football club. That’s it,” he said.
Arteta’s immediate focus will be on Thursday’s match in Lisbon, which is the third of six games in the space of 18 days for his side. Despite the busy schedule, Arteta hinted that he would not rotate his squad for the European tie, saying that he would pick the best team possible to win the game.
“Being fair in football is very difficult,” he added. “You have to be really good at communicating your decisions to help players understand what you do, but all the time you have to think for the best of the team.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
