Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal in the Premier League, expressed his displeasure on Monday regarding reports linking him to the coaching position at Barcelona after their coach, Xavi, announced he would leave the Catalan club at the end of the season.
Media outlets reported on Sunday that Arteta would depart Arsenal to take charge of Barcelona just a day after Xavi's announcement, stating that the club needs change.
Arteta told reporters on the eve of their match against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, "What you read yesterday... is not true at all. I am very upset about this; I couldn't believe it. I don't know the source of this information. It has no source, nothing. And I think we need to be very careful when discussing personal matters."
He confirmed that there is "a lot of work at Arsenal, and we all share that ambition. We are looking for more and we are not satisfied, and the club wants another push to reach another level. Everyone is striving to achieve this goal."
Additionally, Arteta mentioned that he "hopes for the return of midfielder Declan Rice and defender Gabriel Magalhaes to the squad after they were forced off the pitch during the 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace last Saturday."
He added, "We had some issues at the end of the last match, so we will evaluate the condition of these two players. Rice is one of them. He has participated in some training but missed others. I hope he is in good condition. Gabriel is the other player."
