Mikel Arteta insists his conscience is clear regarding Manchester City’s Premier League rule breaches during the period when he served as assistant manager at the club.

The Arsenal boss worked under Pep Guardiola between 2016 and 2019, a span that overlapped with the nine seasons in which City have been found to have broken rules and hidden secret funding of more than £830m.

Advertisement

At his first news conference since the ruling, which the club has appealed, Arteta attempted to sidestep questions, saying he wanted to “respect” the ongoing process.

However, towards the end of more than half an hour of questioning, an official asked him: “You were at City for three and a half years, is your conscience clear? You had a senior position there, is your conscience clear?”

Arteta answered: “Yes”.

His answer consisted of one word, yet it was arguably the most revealing part of the whole interaction.

It was the only occasion where the Spaniard did not in some way revert to his messaging about not giving opinions on the case until such a time as there is a resolution.

Advertisement

Arteta never acted combatively, but it was clear he arrived at Arsenal’s training ground with a response he was determined to stick to.

When an interviewer asked if he had spoken to Guardiola, he added: “I prefer not to answer those questions.”

Reporters asked Arteta for his reaction to the damning report from the independent commission, which found City had arranged “sham contracts” with a number of commercial partners to disguise earnings.

He said: “I fully understand the question, but obviously I think it’s very important that we respect the process, the timelines, and it’s still an ongoing process that is not resolved because it’s been appealed.

Advertisement

“My position, and I think the club’s position, is not to make any further comments until this is fully resolved.”

When a reporter asked if he thought that to preserve the integrity of the Premier League, the appeal and sanction needed to be resolved this season, he replied: “The people are responsible to manage this process and to come to the right conclusions and I’m sure it will be done and it will be resolved in the right way. We have to trust that.”

Arteta also added he “100%” believed the Premier League remains the best in the world.

Arsenal, who sit three points behind league leaders City, face fifth-placed Leeds on Saturday at Emirates Stadium.

Advertisement