Mikel Arteta has admitted it is "inevitable" he will one day be sacked as Arsenal manager amid speculation Barcelona are keeping tabs on the Spaniard.
The Gunners boss has enjoyed a sensational start to this season, guiding his side to the top of the Premier League table with 10 wins from their opening 12 fixtures. As a result, morale is currently sky-high around the Emirates with the Arsenal faithful dreaming of a shock title triumph come the end of the campaign.
Arteta may be the youngest boss in the Premier League but he is experienced enough to know just how quickly things can change in elite-level management. It is for that reason he has come to terms with the fact he'll one day be axed from his post.
"As a manager, probably it's the (biggest) fear of getting sacked," Arteta confessed to Michael Calvin's Football People podcast. "I made a very conscious decision the day I made the decision to become a coach - I said: 'It will happen. Today, tomorrow, in a month's time, in 10 years' time. I don't know when it will happen.'
"That cannot drive my emotion and this cannot be the reason why I do certain things or not. For me now the fear is to let people down."
While the sentiment is moving, there might just be a small chance that Arteta jumps long before he is pushed amid interest from the first club he ever played for in La Liga titans Barcelona.
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The three-time Premier League Manager of the Month is someone the Blaugrana hierarchy have reportedly marked as a 'firm candidate' to replace Xavi in the seasons to come, as per Spanish outlet Sport.
With that being said, the same report claims Barcelona have no interest in parting ways with Xavi before the end of this season despite a humiliating Champions League group stage exit off the back of a summer with plenty of investment.
Arteta has actually discussed rumours linking him with the Camp Nou hot seat previously when rumours reared their head early last year during the club's presidential elections.
"There is always going to be speculation when there are elections in Barcelona. It's a huge team and obviously, I was raised there as a player, and they're always going to be linked," Arteta conceded.
"But I'm fully focused on the job that I have to do here. We have a lot to do and I'm really enjoying it. I feel privileged to manage this football club and I'm extremely happy."
Given he penned a contract extension at the tail-end of last season and the Gunners have since improved, it appears unlikely that Arteta will be angling for a move away.
