02 March 2024 , 22:30
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Mikel Arteta refused to bite in response to Rio Ferdinand's comments that the Arsenal boss would leave for Manchester United at the drop of a hat.
Ferdinand said in midweek on his YouTube show FIVE: "Arteta would leave Arsenal to join Man United, 100 per cent. No one is saying it's happening but if Man United in a wild dream said, 'do you know what, Erik ten Hag, thank you' or Erik ten Hag has been poached by Bayern Munich, and he goes there, and then Man United say top of the list is Arteta.
"Arteta is going in and saying to the lads, 'listen guys, it's been emotional but I've got to move, I've got to go'."
Speaking on Friday, Arteta claimed he would prefer to focus on the good work that pundits carry out as opposed to focusing on opinions that "are not very positive".
The 41-year-old said: “No, I think it’s part of of our job that we are exposed to the media, to the pundits. And they have their opinions. The only thing is that we normally highlight the ones that are not very positive. So we highlight a lot of the time when they say great things, make great comments and great points.
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“These are things said like in a really good way and with a vision of someone who has the experience. I think if we do this, it is much better. Sometimes, though, we focus too much on the negative views.”
Arteta's current Arsenal deal is due to run until the summer of 2025 but he can envisage extending his stay, something he outlined back in January amid "fake news" he intended to step down at the end of the season.
Mikel Arteta envisages staying at Arsenal for the long haul (Michael Zemanek/REX/Shutterstock)Speaking at the start of 2024, Arteta confessed his frustration with those reports which linked him with a summer move to Barcelona as he reaffirmed his commitment to the Gunners.
“That’s totally fake news,” Arteta said in January. “What you read yesterday, I don’t know where it is coming from and it is totally untrue. I am really upset about it.
“I could not believe it. I don’t know where it is coming from and it has no source. It has got nothing and I think we have to be very cautious when you talk about personal things to put it in the way it was put yesterday.
“I am in the right place. I am with the right people. I feel really good about it. And, as I said many times, I am invested in a beautiful journey with this football club, with these players, these staff, our people, and there is still a lot, a lot to do.
“We all share that ambition and you can feel it as well, that we want more, that we aren't satisfied and that the club wants to take another push and another level in everything we are doing, this is where we are. We need everyone on board to achieve it and I am certainly on board.”