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After Barcelona manager Xavi announced he would leave the Spanish giants at season's end, Mikel Arteta has seen his name thrown up for consideration to take over.
Well, it didn't take long... did it? Barely 24 hours following Xavi's announcement, the Arsenal manager has seen his name being mentioned as a possible successor.
Now, before fans get too hot and bothered by Arteta's potential exit, despite having a contract until 2025 with Arsenal and just starting to see the fruits of his labour, the report from Sport states that Arteta has already told this to his inner circle.
This is just a report and we don't have to look too far to see if it is valid or not. Long-time Arsenal journalist Charles Watts immediately poured cold water on those reports linking Arteta with a return to Spain.
Don’t get sucked into the Arteta stuff coming from Spain. This sort of thing was inevitable as soon as Xavi announced he was leaving. It’s just simply not true. He’ll address it himself tomorrow at his press conference, but you don’t need to wait until then to know it’s wrong.
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) January 28, 2024
Charles is as plugged in as anyone when it comes to everything Arsenal, so fans can be assured that if Watts is as sure as his post on X suggests, then we can feel pretty safe to say that Arteta isn't going anywhere come season's end.
Now, that's not to say that Arteta won't ever go back to Spain, but as of now, all the reports are stating that it is a foregone conclusion that he will be in Barcelona at the end of the season are wide of the mark.
Since taking over Arsenal, Arteta has taken the club back to new heights and, after a rather turbulent time, has got the club back to a position where it can realistically challenge for the Premier League title.
With things just starting to roll in the right direction, is it possible that Arteta will simply walk away and return to Spain?
Never say never, but right now, the reports suggesting that Arteta wants out at the end of the season couldn't be more wrong.