Mikel Arteta finally quelled any talk of him moving to Arsenal, Manchester City or Barcelona by today signing a five year contract ahead of Everton’s final pre-season friendly game, a 2-0 defeat to German borderline contenders Wolfsburg.
Whether this is partially to do with Everton’s strong pre-season performances is a possibility, but remains a triviality, especially in light of how the Spaniard expressed his feelings this afternoon.
Speaking to Evertonfc.com, Arteta stated:
“What this summer has made me realise is how important I am to the Club and how important the Club is to me. I believe in this squad. Something is happening here and I want to be a part of it.”
Despite the lure of immediate Champions League football with the likes of Barcelona, Arteta is strong enough to know that he is a great asset to Everton football club, and can help restore his club to their glory days.
Arteta is the stylish icing on a cake of steel, marinated in team spirit, and while there is still a significant way to go, Everton are playing much better football than their once long suffering fans were used to. Ultimately, the squad have stuck together through a testing summer of bids before a season largely seen as a “crossroads” – and that can only be a good thing.
So after all that, Arteta is in for the long haul – roll on the Pienaar speculation…
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