Arteta Calls for Calm as City Charges Dominate Press Conferences
Mikel Arteta has become the latest manager to field questions about Manchester City's charges, and his answer was as measured as you'd expect from a man who once sat in the home dugout at the Etihad.
The Arsenal boss, who spent time at City as Pep Guardiola's assistant, insisted the ongoing process must be allowed to run its course. "I fully understand the question but I think it's really important that we respect the process, the timelines and it's still an ongoing process that's not resolved as it's been appealed," he said, as quoted by football.london.
His comments come after news broke during the international break that City had been found guilty on the vast majority of the 115 charges. The story has once again dominated headlines as the Premier League returns, with the topic on everyone's lips at this week's round of manager press conferences.
City manager Enzo Maresca has already addressed the matter, and yesterday we heard from Frank Lampard and Daniel Farke. Arteta's turn came today, and he was keen to stress that the appeal process means nothing is finalised.
For Arsenal, though, there is also a game to think about. The Gunners take on Leeds United in tomorrow's early kick-off at the Emirates, looking to bounce back from their defeat to Brighton in their final game before the international break. They'll be desperate for a response, especially with league leaders City facing a tough trip away to Liverpool, where they could drop points.
But Arteta has injury concerns to manage. As per football.london, key players like Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis are doubts, and while Max Dowman is available, the manager is not yet sure on Havertz or England defender Ezri Konsa.
Plenty for Arteta to ponder, then, on and off the pitch.