London, Dec. 20, 2019 (AltAfrica)-Arsenal have confirmed the appointment of Mikel Arteta on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Arteta became the board’s frontrunner ahead of more experienced candidates such as Carlo Ancelotti, despite the 37-year-old Spaniard having no prior experience as a head coach.

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Speaking on behalf of the board, Josh Kroenke said: “We’re delighted to be bringing Mikel back to Arsenal.

© Getty (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“He knows our expectations and those of our fans around the world are high and we are confident he can play a lead role in taking the club back to the levels we all demand.

“I also want to thank Freddie Ljungberg for skilfully guiding us through the last three weeks. He stepped up at short notice and has helped us through this difficult period with great professionalism.”

Head of football Raul Sanllehi added: “We met several top-class candidates and Mikel stood out to every single one of us as the perfect person for us. Mikel understands Arsenal Football Club and what it means to our fans around the world.

We look forward to him getting down to work and bringing the best out of our squad as we work to get our season back on track.

© Getty (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“I must also pay tribute to Freddie Ljungberg for his hard work and leadership. Together with Per Mertesacker, he has done a vital job for us in difficult circumstances. Freddie and Per are important parts of the Arsenal family and care deeply for this club.”

Arteta described his return to the club he joined as a player in 2011 as a “huge honour”.

“Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world,” he said. “We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game and that’s been made very clear to me in my discussions with Stan and Josh Kroenke, and the senior people from the club.

“We all know there is a lot of work to be done to achieve that but I am confident we’ll do it. I’m realistic enough to know it won’t happen overnight but the current squad has plenty of talent and there is a great pipeline of young players coming through from the academy.”

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