Mikel Arteta was asked a cheeky question about Ben White and England but the Arsenal manager masterfully sidestepped it in praising “one of the best coaches” Thomas Tuchel.
Despite being a GERMAN, Tuchel was appointed England manager earlier this week on a deal which will see him through to the end of the 2026 World Cup initially.
There remains scepticism over the FA’s recruitment process as despite their claims they interviewed ten candidates, the only names reported so far who were spoken to about the England manager’s job were Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.
Graham Potter, Sean Dyche and many others were overlooked, while Eddie Howe was ignored for a ‘baffling’ reason.
Arteta said he was not interviewed and “at the moment I’m not thinking about it,” but professed his deep love of the country.
“I’ll tell you right now, the feeling I have being here for 22 years. I have that feeling towards it because I always feel respected, welcomed and inspired by this country and the history of football and how you get treated daily.
“I think that’s something you should be really proud of.”
Arteta opted not to wade in too far on the debate of England being managed by a GERMAN, instead choosing to focus on the coaching prowess of Tuchel.
“They’re gonna learn a lot,” said Arteta. “He’s one of the best coaches in the world in my opinion, the way his teams are set up.
“It’s very exciting times. I spoke to a few of the players and they had a smile on their faces straight away. That’s a good sign.”
Later in his press conference, Arteta was asked for more specifics about which players in particular were happy about Tuchel’s appointment, with Raheem Sterling the first player enquired over.
“I don’t know if Raheem was in there.”
The same reporter then cheekily asked whether White was either, knowing full well the defender’s current situation with the national team.
“So he doesn’t ask me about Bukayo or Declan he goes to…we just assume that those two are happy then?” Arteta quipped.
The Spaniard went on to suggest Tuchel would be “happy” to have both players at his disposal, before adding that Sterling “is in a really good moment right now” and “at his best can compete” with anyone for a squad place.
Sterling has not represented his country since the 2022 World Cup, but recently said he is “looking forward to getting back in the England set-up”.
