Former Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta, who retired in May, announced via Twitter on Sunday he would be joining Pep Guardiola’s staff at Manchester City as a coach.
It’s unclear what his role will be, as his announcement did not specify his role, but Arteta said via the statement, “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.”
Arteta has a relationship with Guardiola from their times at Barcelona. Guardiola was a player in the Barcelona first team while Arteta was still a youth player at the B team.
Hi all, here a statement from me on the next chapter in my football career... pic.twitter.com/2Xb9VifCog
— Mikel Arteta (@m8arteta) July 3, 2016
It was speculated that Arteta could join Arsene Wenger’s staff at Arsenal once his contract was up in June. Wenger admitted as much, saying earlier this year, “It is possible. It is true that he is out of contract here and when his contract finishes it is a good opportunity for me to thank him for his contribution, not only as a player but also as a leader.”