Mikel Arteta was assistant manager at Manchester City before making the switch to Arsenal in December 2019
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has previously offered his assurance that he saw no signs of wrongdoing during his time at Manchester City. Reports emerged on Friday claiming that City had been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against the club by the Premier League.
Arteta spent three years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager at City from 2016-19 before becoming Arsenal boss in December of that year.
The Premier League confirmed the charges against City in 2023, with the alleged breaches relating to a period between 2009 and 2018.
City now face a wait to discover the extent of their punishment, subject to an appeal, which could range from a points deduction all the way up to expulsion from the Premier League.
Arteta was asked about the charges against City when the news first emerged back in 2023. The Arsenal boss, however, did not give anything away with his verdict.
“I’m not going to make any comment on that I’m sorry,” Arteta said.
Arteta was then asked if he had any knowledge of any potential wrongdoing at City during his time as Guardiola’s assistant, to which he swiftly replied: “No.”
A year later, Arteta was asked again about the charges that had been brought against City, and gave another cagey response.
“That’s something for the authorities to manage. It’s not for us,” the Arsenal boss said.
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"If they’re playing that means they can play and they are entitled to play. That’s it."
Amid the speculation that City have been found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial regulations, the club issued a statement claiming that the case is far from at an end.
A statement from City read: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023.
“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”