Art of the deal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed he was also not one of the 10 managers the FA spoke to about the England job.

He said: “I didn’t speak to the FA. I’m not one of those 10!”

“I have enough with all the responsibilities and things we want to achieve and do here. At the moment, I’m not thinking about it.”

Arteta was also asked if he would only manage Spain should he end up managing in international football in the future but replied: “No. I tell you right now, the feeling I have this is like home.

“I have been here 22 years, I have that feeling towards it. I always feel respected, welcome and inspired by this country.

“The legacy and the history of football and how you get treated daily. As a country, you should be so proud of it.”

When asked what it says about English coaching that German Thomas Tuchel was appointed: “I understand opinions and feelings but that is the responsibility for the FA to say ‘okay, the first filter is only English managers or the filter is any manager from any country and we select the best for the moment we are in right now’.

“I understand it can feel sad for some people not to have an English manager there and the history tells you as well how important this could be but I think I would take a lot of pride that a lot of managers would do anything to become the English manager.

“That is related to how we are treated in this country. How much we love the passion, the respect, the history and the way things are done in this country.

“I can say personally, you feel so related to where you are even though you are not from here. I think that is a huge thing.”

Finally, Arteta also admitted his England contingent Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka stand to learn so much under Tuchel’s tutelage.

He added: “They [Arsenal players who can compete for Tuchel] are going to learn a lot. He is one of the best coaches in the world in my opinion without a doubt.

“His experience, the way his teams are set up and very exciting times. I spoke to a few of the players and straight away they had smiles on their faces, that’s always a good sign.”