Category Archives: Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta out for the season

  By jtom | 19/04/2012 - 7:30 AM | Injury News, Mikel Arteta
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Mikel Arteta suffered a season-ending injury to his ankle on Monday night against Wigan Athletic. Ligament damage will keep the Spanish midfielder off the pitch for Arsenal’s final four Premier League matches.

According to The Guardian, Arteta’s season is finished due to an ankle injury he sustained against Wigan. No fracture was detected; however, significant ligament damage to the ankle will keep Arteta out for the remainder of the campaign.

Arteta rushed down the tunnel after hurting his ankle, which left the Gunners a man down. The Latics scored their second goal before Aaron Ramsey was prepared to replace Arteta. Arsene Wenger was not happy about the incident:

“It is the fact that when a player is injured, if he stays on the pitch you have time to bring [a replacement] on. It was a misunderstanding because he walked off and Ramsey was not ready. The players think they will not come on in the first half, so they are not ready. Basically we played with 10 men, which should not be the case when a player is injured. Arteta had to come off but if he sits down on the pitch he can come off as well.” (Source: Arsenal)

Wenger’s main concern will now be about how to compensate for the loss of Arteta. Yossi Benayoun is not permitted to play against his parent club Chelsea on Saturday. Obviously, Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere are still recovering from their respective injuries. Unfortunately, the only option appears to be Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey has been in very poor form recently. In fact, I shuddered when he entered the game against Wigan as an early substitute to take the place of the injured Arteta. The Welshman was brilliant against Chelsea during Arsenal’s 5-3 victory at the Bridge, but the quality of his performances has dropped profoundly in recent months. Fatigue could be the reason for Ramsey’s sudden drop. Before this season, he had never featured in more than 18 Premier League matches (he has 30 appearances this season).

Even if Aaron Ramsey defies his recent form and provides decent cover, Arteta’s veteran presence in our midfield will be missed. The former Everton man has agreed to sit further back and act as a holding midfielder at times, which has allowed Tomas Rosicky to roam freely behind Robin van Persie. Arteta’s calm passing has created a stable structure in Arsene Wenger’s midfield, and he has helped revitalise Rosicky’s Arsenal career. Arteta has contributed off the pitch as well. Andre Santos explained:

“Our languages are quite similar, so he is helping me the most. He is always giving me instructions about the Premier League as he played for Everton for a long time … We’re always messing around in the changing room, on the pitch during the warm-up. He’s always saying something to make me laugh or calling me nicknames but it’s always good-spirited.” (Source: Arsenal Player)

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Mikel Arteta “so excited” to play for Arsenal

  By jtom | 07/09/2011 - 7:45 AM | Mikel Arteta
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Mikel Arteta is “so excited” to join Arsenal. The newest Gunner also praised Arsenal’s style of football.

Arsenal completed the signing of Arteta on the night of transfer deadline day. The Gunners paid Everton £10 million for the 29-year old Spanish midfielder.

Arteta told Arsenal Player in his first  interview as a Gunner: “I can’t wait to start playing. I can’t wait to play at the Emirates, I think it’s an unbelievable stadium. I’m so excited.

“I have always been a big admirer of the Arsenal philosophy, the way they play, the way they do the job, and it’s always exciting watching Arsenal play. In England there is no better team to watch than Arsenal.

“Hopefully I will not take long to adapt but obviously you need to meet new characters, new personalities and new players with different abilities so you need to pick that up as soon as possible to get an understanding on the pitch.

“But I have been watching a few videos and have got some work done before training and hopefully that will help me.”

 It is refreshing to hear from players who want to wear the red and white. With all the drama surrounding the Cesc and Nasri situations, Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker seem determined to make their mark at the Emirates. Mertesacker has been a Gooner since childhood and has always dreamed of playing in North London.

Samir Nasri recently insulted Arsenal supporters for their lack of passion since the move to the Emirates. Arteta, on the other hand, is so excited to play at the world-class Ashburton Grove.

Arsenal’s brand of attacking football must also entice transfer targets. Arteta knows he get more opportunities playing in Arsene Wenger’s system than he did at Everton.

Arteta should fit in nicely alongside Aaron Ramsey in the midfield. It will be exciting to see how Arteta plays with Jack Wilshere, once Wilshere returns from injury.

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Arsenal sign Arteta, Benayoun on deadline day

  By jtom | 01/09/2011 - 7:24 AM | Mikel Arteta, Transfer News, Yossi Benayoun
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Mikel Arteta

Arsenal have signed Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta to a four-year contract. The Gunners also brought in Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun on loan. Arsene Wenger has decided to bring more experience to his squad.

Arsenal.com has confirmed that the club have completed a transfer for Mikel Arteta. Gooners were glued to Sky Sports News or the internet on Wednesday night as the deadline approached. The move was not finished until the final moments of the transfer window.

According to The Guardian and other sources, Everton and Arsenal agreed on a £10 million transfer fee. Everton did not want to sell their Spanish star, but the allure of Champions League football made Arteta ask to leave Goodison Park. The Gunners made an initial £5m bid for Arteta, which was easily dismissed by Everton. Arsenal raised their offer to £10m, but Everton wanted around £20m.

But then Arteta sprung into action. He told the Toffees that he wanted a move to the Emirates. Everton manager David Moyes explained:

“Mikel indicated to me he wished to join Arsenal. I am very disappointed to lose him but the prospect of Champions League football was something I was not able to offer him.”

Everton were forced to sell their star player for much less than they valued him. Mikel Arteta also had to take a pay cut to ensure his move to Arsenal. According to The Telegraph, Arteta will make £55,000 a week with Arsenal, but he was on £75,000 per week at Goodison Park.

Something slightly annoys me about the drop in wages for Arteta. Would Arsenal have made the deal if Arteta had not accepted the pay cut? There have been many Gooners questioning Arsenal’s wage structure in recent days. I’m willing to overlook it for now.

Arteta will be a brilliant addition to the Arsenal midfield. While he is not as talented as Cesc Fabregas, Arteta can take over his role in the middle of the park. He has great vision and dribbling ability. Exactly the kind of creative influence the squad needed after the departure of Fabregas.

Mikel Arteta is also an experienced Premiership player. The 29-year old joined Everton in 2005 and has been a force for the Merseyside club ever since. The only concern is Arteta’s fitness. Hopefully, he is not a regular in the physio room.

Arsenal have also officially announced the signing of Yossi Benayoun on a season-long loan. The 31-year old attacking midfielder only made six Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season due to injury. The captain of Israeli national team enjoyed success at Liverpool, scoring 30 goals in three seasons with the Reds.

Benayoun sent this message out on his Twitter account: “I sign with arsenal,very happy and excited about it,but now my head is only in the game against grecce on friday,thanks for the support.” [sic]

Many Arsenal supporters were not pleased with the loan move for Benayoun before the Gunners signed Arteta. But, in addition to Arteta, Benayoun will add experience to the Arsenal squad.

Arsene Wenger has deviated from his usual transfer policy in the last two days. Arsenal have signed Per Mertesacker, Park Chu-young, Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta, and Yossi Benayoun in that time. All of those players are over the age of 25. The “Wenger only signs kids” critics will have to keep it quiet.

When you add in Gervinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Carl Jenkinson, Arsene Wenger has spent significant cash this summer.

Arsenal responded to the 8-2 loss to Manchester United by purchasing five quality players. We cannot fully judge the signings until they perform on the pitch, but at least Arsene Wenger has made an effort to add experience to his squad.

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