This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
December 20, 2019 - In a significant move, Arsenal Football Club has appointed Mikel Arteta as their new head coach, replacing Unai Emery who was sacked in November.
Arteta, a 37-year-old former Arsenal midfielder, has been working as a coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City since 2016. During his five-year career with the Gunners, he won the FA Cup twice.
Speaking to the club's website, Arteta expressed his excitement about the new role, stating: “This is a huge honour. Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game and that’s been made very clear to me in my discussions with Stan and Josh Kroenke, and the senior people from the club.”
Arteta acknowledged that there is a lot of work to be done to achieve the club's goals, but he is confident that the current squad has plenty of talent and a great pipeline of young players coming through from the academy.
Josh Kroenke, speaking on behalf of the Arsenal board and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, welcomed Arteta's appointment, saying: “We’re delighted to be bringing Mikel back to Arsenal. He knows our expectations and those of our fans around the world are high and we are confident he can play a lead role in taking the club back to the levels we all demand.”
