Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said reports linking him to Xavi's successor as Barcelona manager were “completely false”.
Xavi announces On Saturday, he announced he would step down from the position at the end of the season.
This was reported by the Spanish newspaper “Sport”. Arteta, who came from Barcelona's youth set-up, was also considering leaving his job at the Gunners.
“Who, me? No, it's completely fake news,” said Arteta, whose contract with Arsenal runs until the summer of 2025.
“What you read really pissed me off. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t have any sources.
“I’m in the right place with the right people and it feels really good.
“I'm on a great journey with this club, but there's still a lot of work to do. I have a strong relationship with the board.
“Things happen naturally. When the time is right, we will get them.” [contract] Talk it over and find the best way to deal with it. ”
Arteta never made a competitive appearance for Barcelona's first team, having spent time on loan at Paris Saint-Germain before playing for Rangers, Real Sociedad, Everton and Arsenal.
After retiring, he coached under Josep Guardiola at Manchester City, before becoming Gunners manager in December 2019.
He won the FA Cup with the north London club in 2020, and Arsenal finished second behind Manchester City in last season's Premier League, despite falling behind late in the title race.
The Gunners are third in the table, five points behind leaders Liverpool, and are top of the table heading into Tuesday's game at Nottingham Forest.
They are also in the Champions League and will face Porto in the last 16.
“There's a lot to do here and we all share that ambition,” Arteta added.
“We want more, we are not satisfied and the club wants to push further to take it to another level. We have everyone working together to achieve that.”
