Mikel Arteta Becomes New Arsenal Manager

Arsenal have appointed Mikel Arteta as the new manager of the club on a three-and-a-half year contract following a thorough search for a head coach.

The London side made the announcement on Friday afternoon, confirming speculations that have made the headlines in recent weeks.

The Spaniard and former captain for the Gunners will be coming in as a replacement for his fellow compatriot, Unai Emery, who got the hammer on November 29, barely twenty-four hours after losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

Arteta will not be in charge until Sunday which means that Freddie Ljungberg will be the boss when we visit Goodison Park for our next Premier League clash against Everton on Satuday afternoon.

In an explanation our new boss gave during his live press conference some minutes ago, he made it clear that he discussed with Freddie and concluded that the latter should oversee tomorrow's fixture since he (Arteta) has not had any training session with the players. He only had a short talk with them this morning.

The 37-year-old was serving as asistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City but could not resist the offer when Arsenal came knocking. This is not the first time he will be on the Gunners' managerial shortlist.

The initial opportunity came when it was time to fill in the void to be left by Arsene Wenger. No deal came through for him as Unai Emery was the preferred candiate. Arteta described his failure as a part of the process that has now been completed.

Asked if he is aware of the fan's concern over his minimal mangerial experience, the midfielder who made 150 appearances for Arsenal between 2011 and 2016 answered in the affirmative while stating that he understands their plight. He then went on to say that he is here for a reason which is to make things work again. He woukdn't mind achieving that with the last drop of blood in his circulatory system.

One vital area which supporters have been so inquisitive about is the January transfer window. According to Arteta, he has held no discussion on that with the club heirarchy yet. His major immediate focus at the moment is to get the side to winning ways.

The ex Everton however refused to give any targets as per where he aims to be at the end of the season, saying that it will be too early for such.

Also worthy of note is his tribute to Arsene Wenger, the man that believed in him a lot, thereby making it possible for him to be at the club once again.

It is still unclear how Arteta's coaching team will look like but the list should be out as soon as possible. We will get you updated on this.