Former Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta has today confirmed that he will take up a coaching role under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Arteta bid an emotional goodbye to Arsenal fans at the end of the season, as their 4-0 win over Aston Villa helped the Gunners pip rivals Tottenham to second place in the Premier League.
Arteta had been linked with a number of coaching positions post retirement, including a move to north London rivals Spurs, but today the Spaniard confirmed that his next destination would be teaming up with compatriot Guardiola at Manchester City.
In a statement, Areta confirmed: “Following recent media speculation surrounding my future I can confirm I will be leaving Arsenal and retiring from playing to take up a coaching position at Manchester City.”
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“I’ve enjoyed an amazing five years at Arsenal and it has been an honour and a privilege to captain such a great club.
“I would personally like to thank the manager, board, all of my teammates and of course the fans for the fantastic support I’ve received during my time there.”
"Throughout my career I have always been interested in more than just the playing side and have had a passion for helping progress and develop the team outside of just my own role as a player," added Arteta, who has been troubled by injuries in recent seasons.
"Coaching has always been something I've been keen to go in to and over the past few years I've worked hard off the pitch as well as on it to develop my skills in order to put me in a position to be able to pursue a coaching role once I finished playing.
"I have been lucky enough to play under some amazing coaches and managers during my playing career and I hope to use elements of everything I've learnt from them as well as experience from my own playing career to help City achieve success."
