ARSENAL JOB? I HAVE NO REGRETS

Arteta breaks his silence on Gunners as he takes charge of City

MIKEL ARTETA says he has no regrets over missing out on the Arsenal job.

Arteta will take charge of Manchester City for tonight’s Champions League tie against Lyon because Pep Guardiola is banished to the stands.

Guardiola will serve a onematch touchline ban after being sent off for haranguing the referee during City’s quarter-final second-leg defeat by Liverpool last season.

Arteta, 36, was the favourite to succeed Arsene Wenger before the Arsenal board got cold feet late on and opted to go for former Sevilla and PSG coach Unai Emery.

But the former Arsenal and Everton star – who took yesterday’s pre-match press conference alongside Aymeric Laporte (right) in the absence of

Guardiola – broke his silence on the Arsenal situation and said he was not bitter at losing out to Emery.

“In football it’s so hard to predict things,” said

Arteta (with boss

Guardiola, right).

“When things happen you make decisions but sometimes you don’t have time to make them. The decision was made and I’m so happy it was made. I’m very privileged to be where I am.

“I feel very fulfilled with the job I’m doing at the moment.

“If you ask me if, one day in the future, I will be a coach the answer is probably ‘yes.’ But I’m really happy where I am and really enjoying the moment I’m living. We have a fantastic momentum and there’s still a lot of room for this club to grow so I am very pleased with where I am.”

Asked how close he came to joining Arsenal, Arteta

(below) refused to give much away and said: “I didn’t talk on that two or three months ago and I didn’t make a statement.

“And I don’t think today is the day to talk about it.

“You all know something happened but the reality is I’m here and happy to be here.” Gabriel Jesus to score first