Mikel Arteta has insisted his conscience remains unburdened regarding his time at Manchester City, despite the club being found guilty of serious breaches of financial regulations.
An independent commission determined that between 2009/10 and 2017/18, City artificially inflated their revenue by £830m. The club has lodged an appeal and continues to deny all allegations of wrongdoing.
The investigation covered two years during which Arteta served as assistant to manager Pep Guardiola. At a press conference this week, the Arsenal manager answered affirmatively when directly asked whether he maintained a clear conscience on the matter.
Arteta, who has just penned a fresh four-year contract extension with Arsenal, fielded numerous questions from journalists regarding City's verdict but consistently declined to elaborate further until the club's appeal process reaches its conclusion.
The thing is that this has been going for various years. The process is still not finished, so it's very difficult to express how I feel because it's not resolved. When it's resolved, I can talk with clarity and tell you exactly how I feel.
He went on to emphasise the importance of allowing the appeal mechanism to run its course.
I think that process has to be resolved in a way. And we need to trust that the people who are in charge doing that will do it in the timeframe that they believe is best for everybody.
More recently, on October 9, Arteta reiterated his position, stating he trusted Manchester City
now, in the future, alwaysand
completely, while maintaining his stance that further commentary would be inappropriate until the appeal concludes.
Arteta spent three-and-a-half seasons working alongside Guardiola, including the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns, when City won consecutive Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups, before departing to manage Arsenal in 2019.
According to the independent commission's findings, City artificially inflated their sponsorship income by £264.3m across the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons alone, a period during which their acquisitions included John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva, Ederson and Kyle Walker. The commission also found that City overstated revenues by £855.2m and understated expenses by £66.2m.
When pressed about whether his memories of his City experience had been tainted by the verdict, Arteta declined to respond.
Regarding whether he felt satisfied to have secured the Premier League title for Arsenal ahead of the verdict, he offered a different perspective.
I feel proud and very emotional when I think about how we won it, the moments that we had together. It's a unique and genuine feeling that I have.
Premier League's standing under scrutiny
Arteta defended the Premier League's status as the world's leading competition, insisting it will
100 per centremain so despite the integrity questions raised by City's guilty verdict.
It's the best league in the world for many reasons. I've been here for over 20 years and it will continue to be the best league in the world. I feel privileged to be where I am.
He acknowledged that several clubs have managed their resources exceptionally well, though Arsenal have recently felt the impact of such efficiency, referencing their recent defeat to Brighton.
And there are a few clubs who have been extremely good and managed resources in an intelligent way. And we suffered from that a few weeks ago.
However, following remarks by Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner, who suggested the Premier League has been
damagedby City's guilty verdict, Arteta expressed uncertainty about the competition's global reputation.
I want to think that it doesn't damage the Premier League but I don't know. And certainly it's not in our control.
Instead, he emphasised Arsenal's responsibility to contribute positively to the league's standing.
In our control is to bring everything we can individually to the club, to maintain the position we have to be the best league in the world.
The appeal process and what comes next
City lodged its appeal at 7pm on October 1, arguing that the commission's opinion contained clear material errors of law, principle and fact and was unsafe. The commission found City guilty of all charges relating to serious financial-rule breaches and of the majority of charges concerning failure to cooperate with the Premier League investigation.
The appeal hearing must conclude within 12 weeks of the October 1 filing—by December 24, 2026—with a decision due within 30 days after the hearing concludes. The Premier League has indicated that City's sanctions will be considered at a separate hearing, though no date has been announced for that process.
Arteta's new contract, which extends his tenure at Arsenal until 2030, comes as the club continues to compete at the highest level while the City situation remains unresolved in the football world.
