Mikel Arteta has been tipped to leave Arsenal and potentially join FC Barcelona, even though he is reportedly close to signing a new contract.
Arteta and Arsenal have developed together over the past few years, and this led to them ending their long wait for the Premier League title last season.
Under Arteta, Arsenal‘s next mission is arguably to win the Champions League after losing in last season’s final, though they also look increasingly likely to retain the Premier League title this term.
So, the Gunners are in a great position, so it is hardly surprising that they are looking to secure their future by tying key figures to long-term contracts.
This includes Arteta, who has entered the final year of his Arsenal contract. A report on Monday claimed ‘advanced talks’ over a new deal are progressing nicely, with fresh terms expected to be agreed ‘soon’.
Mikel Arteta exit prediction revealed
Despite this, former Man City defender Nedum Onuoha suspects Arteta will leave Arsenal within the next “four years”.
“I don’t see Arteta being in Arsenal for like another three, four years, to be honest. Because that will take him to 10 years,” Onuoha said on The Sports Agents podcast.
“It’s very easy to forget this is still his first managerial appointment.
“So, if he has aspirations as a manager that maybe go beyond just being in the Premier League and being at Arsenal, then when his stock is high, he’ll probably want to consider some of those options…
“I don’t think he’s the long-term Arsenal manager, and I don’t think he’d want to be either.”
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On his potential next move, Onuoha has also argued that Arteta will be hoping to land the Barcelona job.
He continued: “I think for the success that he’s having for Arsenal now… Surely there’ll be other teams in and around Europe that would consider that to be something they would want as well.
“I think for Mikel, who’s to say that in the future you might not be, like, a Barcelona manager, or say somewhere like that?
“Or maybe he just wants to have a break? Because, as we know, being a head coach in the Premier League at times can certainly be relentless.”
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