For the second time in 10 days the agent of Mikel Arteta has dismissed suggestions that the Spaniard could leave Arsenal this summer.
The 32-year-old had been lazily linked with Athletic Bilbao – he’s Basque-born and a defensive midfielder therefore a perfect replacement for Ander Herrera (duh) – before rumours of a switch to Fiorentina found traction in the Italian press.
Discounting the fact Arteta enjoys the Uffizi’s Renaissance masterpieces and that his client has long harboured an ambition to experience the novelty of living on a bridge, Inaki Ibanez made clear to Radio Blu that his client won’t be leaving the Emirates.
“The player has no intention of leaving London,” said Ibanez as clearly as f*cking possible.
“We have not spoken to any club and I would like to remind everyone that we are talking about the Arsenal [vice] captain, with all respect for Fiorentina.”
Arteta spoke earlier in the summer about the prospect of a new contract at Arsenal hoping the club would make an offer based on his important contribution in recent seasons rather than his age.
“I don’t value players by age. Whether it is [Tomas] Rosicky or Jack Wilshere, I analyse many other things before age.
“Age can be an asset for the club. For me, a much bigger asset is someone who has played 125 games in three years compared to someone who has played 25, if he is 20 years old. That’s my opinion.”
Since signing from Everton on deadline day in August 2011 Arteta has made 118 starts for the Gunners. To put that in perspective he’s not far behind Abou Diaby (135) who has been at the club three times as long. Granted, he may not be as glamorous as some of his midfield cohorts but he’s adapted his game to become an integral cog in Arsene Wenger’s squad and his experience is vital.
It’s good news that he’s not looking elsewhere and that any new signing in his position will be able to call on his advice for another 12 months at least.
Unsung hero – doesn’t have the legs, but has the brain to keep going for years. Hope he gets a new deal.
Missing front teeth in that picture?
Hands off our Lego-haired Spaniard!
Flamini’d be willing to pay that particular tribute, I’m sure.
We are actually now in a position financially where we can keep older players who can add depth to the squad and help bring on our youngsters. I think this is just as important as the new faces we are bringing in.
This is a really excellent point.
I want him to have a testimonial at the arsenal!! Stay till you retire micky
Seriously, he could keep playing here as long as G*ggs did at Man Ure. He’s got so much knowledge and so much class, and so much to teach to the youngsters. Let’s just keep signing him to extensions!
Absolutely love what he brings to the team. Give him a rolling contract, get an understudy from the youth squad, and secure someone from the transfer market, meanwhile.
I think we’d offer the 1 year extension, but he wants a multi-year deal. Don’t know why we can’t just go for the 2-3 year deals for players such as Arteta, whose experience is vital. He may not play as much but being able to call upon him when we’re in 4 different competitions is the sign of a top side.
Still remember the “panic signings” after the old trafford mauling, Arteta was the most exciting for me…i like him, i want him stay… He is super realiable….good passer of the ball and so tidy…some fans dont see that
We have to keep him. Last year we probably lost the title due to a lack of depth and I love Arteta,who doesn’t?
Sorry if there are any english mistakes
You have fewer English mistakes in your post than most native English speakers. No need to apologize!
(Please forgive the North American spelling.)
What is this feeling? Odd…a warm sensation in my chest… Maybe… Could this be it? Is this what it feels like? Is this…PLAYER LOYALTY?!!
This guy’s sacrificed more than the glamorous side of his game to make arsenal a better fc, he’s also sacrificed something i wouldn’t want want to talk about now, though blog would do everything possible to remind us, the man is a great professional
Oh Micky you so fine, you so fine you blow my mind;
hey Micky! Hey Micky!
But I wouldn’t blame arteta if he doesn’t end his career at Arsenal. It’s with our policy of not offering better contracts to 30+
Arteta spent one year playing a more attacking role (that goal against Citeh!) and then settled back to play an unglamorous role at the back for us, and did a competent and sometimes crucial job. He has also been a role model in terms of his professionalism and the way he carries himself. Which is why I feel really bad saying this, but we really do need an upgrade on him, his lack of pace hurts us badly when we come up against one of the better sides. He should still be an important part of the squad but not… Read more »
That event takes place in London tonight and we’ll have a special correspondent there as well as live coverage, a ticker, news bulletins, individual telegrams for anyone who wants them, a video blog, and loads more*. – * – we won’t have any of those things. – HAHA This made my morning!, heck my day!
Iv let the tyres down on his car. He’s going nowhere.
Our number one penalty taker is not going anywhere, we’ll need him in the champions league final.
Considering we were reduced to bringing in Kallstrom on loan last season, I’d be shocked if we let a player in the same position go, especially one as multi-talented as Arteta.
He may have to be reduced to a rotation player, but I’m sure he can still have a role for us in the next 2-3 years.
Working alongside Arsene as his assistant manager with Bould of course. Can you imagine Arsene and Arteta in those suits… man I’m excited plus coffee and rum is a bad combo.
And Rosicky. And Henry when he retires (he’s still tearing up the MLS, right?). And bring back Bergkamp and Vieira from Man $ity. Am I missing anyone? Oh yes, silly me, Pascal Cygan to tutor our young defenders, and Francis Jeffers, to add a bit of English in the mix. Oh yes, the next 30 years would be glorious indeed.
And we’ll be wheeling Arsene in:
http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=11293393
Erm http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100828114921/southpark/images/7/7b/40a.jpg
This simply reeks of the media making something out of nothing.
Arteta is clearly one of Wenger’s most trusted men on the pitch… Heck, he is the de facto club captain.
I would apply 9 poos to this rumor if I could.
He’s still the best DM in the squad and happens to be a incredible person and teammate with perfect hair.
While many players who have left iin the past have been biting us whilst playing for our rivals…he lost a tooth for the tteam a match in which eventually won….and know this saint a suarez joke….
I want this man to be our very own gerrard.
Why??? Gerrard is not really that good anymore. Had a decent last season, but pretty average for a couple before that and worse at the world cup
Arteta. Doesn’t. Slip.
This aint A suarez joke…
Remember the “panic buys” after the 8-2 debacle at Old trafford. How things have changed since. That was the low point. Now we are buying world class players at our leisure. Proves patience is a great quality to have. It you don’t make knee jerk reactions to everything, things will work out in the end.
2.5 of those “panic buys” were actually rather good though. Per and Arteta are stalwarts of the side and de facto captains – which says quite a lot!
Ok, Per didn’t sparkle immediately, but look how it’s turned out. Benayoun did a good job for us while he was here. It’s just Park (WTF?!) and Santos who were flops.
Arteta is class. He’s been reliable since he first put on an Arsenal shirt, and I see no reason why he should leave now. Or why we’d be willing to let him go.
I really like that second quote by his agent. “We’re talking about the vice-captain of Arsenal, with all due respect to Fiorentina.”
Awesome stuff. Mikel is a wonderfully skilled player and fits perfectly to our philosophy. We need a few elder gentlemen to help out the young guns.
I’d love Khedira or Bender to come in but this guy is class on and off the pitch. I think he has had a big influence on Ramsey’s game and Jack could still learn a thing or two off him. I hope along with the new signing the club also announce a new deal for our lego haired vice captain.
I hope he gets an extension and continues with us.
I have to make an admission here; While Arteta was joining us on deadline day, another transfer was happening from Merseyside to London – Raul Meireles from Liverpool to Chelsea. Hindsight can give you a bitch slap, but I rather stupidly thought that we got the wrong man. Not sure what I was thinking; I put it down to weird hair styles and body tattoos.
Its rather humbling to say all this but I am already feeling a weight of my chest 🙂
I really like Arteta. Always have, and it’s not just because of his hair. He’s a fitting vice-captain and a very experienced player, and I really want him to stay with the club for as long as possible, even if it means he’ll be watching a little more as younger midfielders thrive.
I’ve got the same opinion on Arteta as Rosicky: They are integral to our team due to their quality and experience, and after they retire from football (Which in Rosicky’s case probably is 42), they should stay with the club because their experience is gold.
Where is Sanchez god dammit!! I just wanna see the headline and picture now so i can relax….pls
There is a lot of sentimental bullshit on here today…Arteta is a decent player and a good bloke but he looked his age last season and against the best teams, when push comes to shove, he’s not up to it. His position needs to be filled by a powerful, top quality defensive midfielder. Then we can give the league a real go…
No-one is denying that we need a top quality DM, but his experience as a mentor for a younger player, and his usefulness as a potential rotation player next season, could be invaluable. I don’t think any fan is expecting him to play 50 games next season, hopefully we will have that signing for the big games, but still have Arteta there for those hectic periods, where we really suffered last season.
I’d love him to stay, but wouldn’t mind if he were a squad player behind, say, Khedira. Unlikely, but what a midfield that would be.
We need Wenger to sign a younger, high class DM, that’s for sure. See how much better Ozil plays (Daily Hate’s rants aside) for Germany when he has Schweinsteiger and Khedira – and also the power of Kroos – alongside him. It also helps having the speed of a Mueller or Schurrle up front, so I’m hoping the Sanchez signing is real. But Arteta is exactly what we need as an experienced squad player and is a model professional. Don’t think he even has a tattoo! Class act. Don’t moan about no depth in the squad if you want the… Read more »
His passing became more and more sideways as last season progressed – perhaps that was a lack of options in front with the injuries or maybe he became tired, but you can’t doubt his application and professionalism, and I really feel he cares about the club. Would love to see him stick around for years – he’s our best option at DM right now and rightly deserves a new contract.
Arsenal are not a charity/pension plan for ageing footballers!! Don’t you all understand it’s OUR money that’s going to waste on players like Diaby, Rosicky and now possibly Arteta. They’ve got one more year…thank you and goodbye.
Arteta is a player who puts his team first. This is invaluable for a veteran player slated to be a squad player and veteran hand. He proved this by the way he adapted his role to provide what we needed. When he arrived, who would have thought that he would do Song’s job and do it far more effectively?
Arteta is a good squad player. Whether he’s a really nice person is pretty irrelevant (by the way being horoughly unpleasant is significant due to the effects on the squad). Mikel looked his age last season. He adapted v well to a role that I didn’t think would suit him. Good? Yes. Nice person? By all accounts yes (at Emirates and Goodison – don’t know about his time at Ibrox). What we need? A qualified yes – only as a squad player. Er need a Bender, possibly Khedera or in a dreeamworld vidal or Pogba.
With the agent calling him the captain, rather than vice captain, does he know something about next season that we don’t?