Arteta says his conscience is clear over Manchester City charges

Mikel Arteta faced questions about Manchester City's financial breaches for the first time and delivered a clear message: his conscience is clean. The Arsenal manager, who worked as Pep Guardiola's assistant between 2016 and 2019, addressed the media after the independent commission published its ruling against the Manchester club, which has been appealed by the club.

• Arteta spent three and a half seasons as City assistant, a period included in the nine campaigns under investigation.
• The manager refused to comment on the case, hiding behind respect for the ongoing appeal process.
• Asked directly whether his conscience was clear, he gave a one-word answer: yes.
• Arsenal sit three points behind leaders City and host Leeds on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta's time at Manchester City under the shadow of the case

The Spaniard arrived at the Etihad in 2016 to join Guardiola's coaching staff. Across three and a half seasons he experienced the club's sporting transformation from the inside, a cycle that overlapped with nine seasons in which the independent commission found City had broken rules and disguised secret funding of more than £830 million.

That period makes Arteta a privileged witness to an era now under intense scrutiny. The commission described sham contracts with a number of commercial partners to disguise earnings, a practice the club has denied and against which it has lodged an appeal.

A one-word answer that revealed everything

For more than half an hour, Arteta repeatedly dodged questions about the ruling. But when a journalist asked whether his conscience was clear after holding a senior position at that City side, his answer was as short as it was emphatic: yes.

You were at City for three and a half years, is your conscience clear? You had a senior position there, is your conscience clear?

It was the only moment of the entire press conference in which the Spaniard did not fall back on his message about not giving opinions until the case is resolved. There was no tension or anger, just the firmness of a man who arrived at Arsenal's training ground with a stance already decided.

Respect for the process as Arteta's shield

Asked about his reaction to the commission's damning report, which found the existence of sham agreements to camouflage earnings, Arteta insisted he understands the interest in the matter but believes it is essential to respect the timelines. City's appeal keeps the procedure open and without a final resolution.

The manager stressed that both his position and Arsenal's position are to make no further comments until everything is resolved. He maintained that stance even when asked whether the integrity of the Premier League would require the appeal and sanction to be settled before the end of this season.

Arteta defends the Premier League and turns focus to Leeds

Far from questioning the competition, Arteta was adamant about his confidence in English football. He said he believes one hundred percent that the Premier League remains the best in the world and expressed his conviction that those responsible for the process will reach the right conclusions.

Asked whether he had spoken to Guardiola in recent days, he preferred not to answer. His focus is on Saturday's match, where Arsenal, third and three points behind City, host a Leeds side sitting fifth. A crucial fixture to stay in the title race.

Frequently asked questions about Arteta and the Manchester City case