Arsenal Captain Mikel Arteta Announces Retirement From Football... Could he make a dramatic move for the Arsenal hotseat?

​Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta has officially announced his retirement from professional football with immediate effect, and has confirmed he will now look for a job in a coaching capacity.


The Spaniard was given a warm send off in front of the Emirates Stadium crowd on Sunday afternoon, and calls time on a career which has been plagued with injury in recent years at the age of 34. The product of Barcelona's popuar La Masia youth academy joined Arsenal from Everton in 2011, and has also played for the likes of Paris Saint Germain, Real Sociedad and Rangers.

It has been heavily speculated that he could now join Pep Guardiola's coaching staff at Manchester City when he takes charge at the Etihad in the coming weeks.

According to the ​Guardian, Arteta said on his career: "It is very hard to stop but I wanted to leave it. I wanted to decide, and I thought for the last few months that I wasn’t good enough to represent this club on the pitch.

"You have to accept it. It has been a long time for me to be playing football and I didn’t want to cheat them or anyone. It is time. I want to leave it like this and we will see what happens.

"You have to be honest with yourself. That’s why I haven’t been upset with the manager. I have been upset with myself. When you can’t get it right and you have been through injuries and difficult moments at this level. For me, to play at this club, you have to be the best in your position.

When you lose that, I think you should be away from this place. I have probably been here too long. In the last few months, I probably didn’t deserve to be here but at least I got the chance [against Villa] to stay in touch with them and it has been amazing.

"For me, the standards you need to play for this club – it cannot be eight out of 10. It has to be 10 out of 10. When you cannot deliver that, it is not good enough. Sometimes, people get away with it. Inside myself, my gut wasn’t clean and, when you are like this, I prefer to make the decision myself.

"I am going to leave myself one per cent [to continue playing] because, in football, one per cent is a lot and things can twist very quickly. But I have different options now to be related to football, which I am very grateful for.

"It is very unusual to have opportunities at this level. That has made me think it was probably time [to retire] and the way I have been watching football in the last few months – or, probably, over a year – it was not as a player, it was more as a coach. Then, you have to think about it."

Arteta did not go into specifics about his coaching options because of his respect and affection for Arsenal.

"I don’t want to say clubs but I have three very different options and I am very proud, because it is not common. I have been left the door very open [at Arsenal] and I may have to make a decision.

“I don’t want to talk. I have so much respect for this club, what they think about me and what they have shown in the last few weeks that they want to do with me, that I cannot talk about any other things.

"I believe, because after all these emotions, you realise that probably you hang up your boots and stop doing something I have been doing for the last 17 or 18 years in a professional way. I have to digest and consume all those emotions first.”

Could we see him make a sensational return to the hot seat at Arsenal? Arsenal fan, Culann Davies seems to think the midfielder deserves a shot.