‘Got dreams’ - Could Barcelona lure Mikel Arteta away from Arsenal? Gunners great Ray Parlour likens future debate to Arsene Wenger’s Real Madrid rumours

When Wenger was guiding the Gunners to three top-flight crowns, including the iconic ‘Invincibles’ campaign of 2003-04, he was widely considered to be one of the finest managerial minds in world football.

Unsurprisingly, admiring glances were shot in his direction on a regular basis. At one stage, barely a season would pass without ‘Le Professeur’ being linked with a move to take charge of the ‘Galacticos’ at Real Madrid.

Talks with the Blancos were held while still under contract at Highbury, but no deal was ever done and Wenger completed 22 years of loyal service with Arsenal before walking away in 2018. A little over 18 months later, after seeing Unai Emery come and go, reins were handed to Arteta in December 2019.

He has now spent six years and 350 games at the helm, overseeing the return of domestic dominance in 2025-26. A notable double remains up for grabs, with the Gunners set to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on May 30.

Arteta’s contract, as it stands, only runs until the summer of 2027. An extension to those terms has been mooted - with many tipping the San Sebastian native to emulate Wenger by passing a decade in the dugout - but could he be tempted to move on if an enticing offer from elsewhere were to be tabled?

Given his ties to Barcelona, should the Liga giants be a source of concern to those at Emirates Stadium? When that question was put to Parlour, the ‘Invincibles’ squad member - speaking on behalf of 10bet, who offer punters sign up offers - told GOAL: “I think it'd be a little bit like Arsene Wenger. There were lots of rumors he was going to Real Madrid, but he was a very loyal man.

“He knew what he was trying to do at Arsenal; maybe he stayed past his time in the end, but at that vital stage with the moving stadiums and whatever… and I think Arteta could be similar.

“I don't know what Mikel Arteta is thinking. I don't know what his club was growing up or what club he wanted to manage - you’ve got dreams sometimes as a manager - so if an opportunity comes and he can't turn it down, we'll have to wait and see.

“But I still think there's a lot of work going forward for Arsenal to be very successful - maybe not as successful as Man City, but to challenge for trophies every single season - and he can be part of that and part of making history for the club. I'm sure he wants to do that.”

Arteta said recently when asked about his plans for the long-term future, with a lively presence on the touchline preferring to keep focus locked on the present: “There's no news on that. We have no time to discuss that now. The full focus is on what we have to do from here until the end of the season.

“I am fully committed and really happy and I feel good. My family is good and I still have so much ambition to do with this football club, and for now we are in a good place.

“This job is about the present and what you do on the day. Give your very best and feel that you are the person that can lead and inspire the group to achieve great things for the club. And I feel that way and hopefully I will feel that way for the rest of the week, and with a great outcome at the end of the season.”

Arsenal got to enjoy wild celebrations on Sunday when hoisting the Premier League trophy aloft following a final day victory over Crystal Palace. That party - much like the one which greeted news of their coronation - likely stretched well into the night.

The Gunners are not on the beach yet, though, with collective sights needing to be realigned on the bid for a first Champions League crown. A travelling army of Gunners supporters is preparing to make its way to Budapest for a continental showdown with PSG on Saturday.