"He will stay for a few more seasons" - Pundit claims Arsenal man will not leave the Gunners despite rumors of interest from Real Madrid
Pundit Ally McCoist has dismissed suggestions that Mikel Arteta could leave Arsenal. The Spaniard has been linked with Real Madrid, while Manchester City and Barcelona are also in the running.
Speaking on talkSPORT, McCoist claimed that there was no chance of Arteta leaving Arsenal. However, he does not believe the Spaniard will remain at the club for the rest of his career and could move on after a few seasons.
He was quoted by HITC saying:
"No chance (Arteta leaves Arsenal). No, I think he will stay for a few more seasons at least."
Arteta to Real Madrid rumors were in the news after Rio Ferdinand claimed that he had heard about interest from Los Blancos. Ferdinand said (via Daily Mail):
"I heard something. I heard Real Madrid and, when they come knocking, your players will be coachless. Ancelotti, 'Don Carlo', the eyebrow, he might be off. And (I heard) that Arteta is looking to go to Real Madrid. That's the rumour on the streets. The streets are talking. I hope he stays."
Arteta's side are currently sitting at the top of the Premier League with 74 points from 31 games.
Mikel Arteta blasted for antics on Arsenal touchline
Mikel Arteta has had a wonderful season with Arsenal and has led them to the top of the Premier League table. They could eventually lose out to Manchester City, but the Gunners have exceeded the expectations of the fans and pundits.
However, the manager has seen a lot of criticism go his way as pundits have blasted him for his antics on the touchline. Sports presenter Richard Keys spoke to Casinos En Ligne about Arteta and said (via SPORTbible):
"Arteta has spent most of the season on the touchline, which is dangerous. The possibility is that he collides with a player and people get injured. There's a reason that the dugout is structured to be away from the pitch."
"He's also, at different times, has been on the halfway line or beyond. Well, that's not how it works.. But there are rules for a reason, and the reason with the dugout being where it is, is for safety. So you stay in it."
He added:
"He certainly shouldn't be literally on that touchline and beyond, to a halfway line, and then in front of the opposition dugout. For large portions of games, I watch from a different angle to that which is seen at home by most viewers and it's just wrong."
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will next be seen in action against Southampton on Friday (April 21) in a Premier League home clash against Southampton.