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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said he feels privileged and is "extremely happy" with his position at Arsenal amid rumours linking him with the managerial position at Barcelona.
The Catalans are set to elect a new club president on March 7th. According to reports, if presidential candidate Joan Laporta wins the election, Mikel Arteta would be installed as the new Barcelona manager, replacing Ronald Koeman.
Arteta, however, has refuted these claims and says he is focused on his job at Arsenal.
"There is always going to be speculation when there are elections in Barcelona. It's a huge team and, obviously, I was raised there as a player, and they're always going to be linked," said Arteta.
"But I'm fully focused on the job that I have to do here. We have a lot to do and I'm really enjoying it. I feel privileged to manage this football club and I'm extremely happy," Arteta added.
Arteta also said he is committed to Arsenal for the foreseeable future after being asked whether he would manage Barcelona.
"Today and tomorrow, I am the manager of Arsenal Football Club and I'm really enjoying it. I want to do much better than what we've done," said Arteta.
Mikel Arteta featured for both Barcelona and Arsenal in his playing career
Arteta began his playing career in the Barcelona B team when he was 15 years old. However, he failed to break into the first team and left for PSG in 2002. Arteta also played for Rangers, Real Sociedad, and Everton before finishing his professional career at Arsenal in 2016.
The Spanaird immediately entered management following his retirement, joining former Barcelona player and manager Pep Guardiola as an assistant at Manchester City.
Arteta was strongly linked with the Arsenal job in 2018 following Arsene Wenger's retirement but lost out to Unai Emery. The Spaniard was finally made Arsenal manager after Emery was sacked.
The 38-year-old manager has a contract at Arsenal that runs till 2023. He has won the FA Cup and the Community Shield during his time at the helm of the London club. Arteta has stated that a contract extension at Arsenal is not a priority right now.
"We are in the middle of the season, we have a lot to play for, and at the moment, it's not a priority. I still have my contract and I'm happy here. I don't think it's something urgent," Arteta said about his contract.
