Arsenal Appoint Ex-Captain, Mikel Arteta New Head Coach

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Sports News Friday, December 20th, 2019

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Arsenal have appointed a former captain of the club, Mikel Arteta as head coach on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The 37-year-old won the FA Cup twice in a five-year career with the Gunners and succeeds fellow Spaniard Unai Emery, who was sacked in November

He had been working as a coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, joining the club in 2016 after retiring as a player.

“We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game

“That’s been made very clear to me in my discussions with owners Stan and Josh Kroenke and the senior people from the club’’ Arteta said.

Arteta will take over as Gunners boss Sunday, leaving Freddie Ljungberg in interim charge for the trip to Everton – another of Arteta’s former clubs – on Saturday (12:30 GMT kick-off).

Arsenal are 10th in the Premier League with 22 points.

He admitted: “We all know there is a lot of work to be done to achieve that but I am confident we’ll do it.

“I’m realistic enough to know it won’t happen overnight, but the current squad has plenty of talent and there is a great pipeline of young players coming through from the academy.”

Despite the announcement, Arteta’s coaching team is yet be announced.

Ljungberg has won once in five matches since being appointed on a caretaker basis on 29 November, and the Swede called for some clarity on the situation after Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat by champions Manchester City.

The Gunners have now gone six games without a win at Emirates Stadium, their longest run without a home victory since 1995.

Arsenal are seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, after five victories in 17 matches this season.