A lie will make its way around a rondo before the truth has even put in a tackle. Sometimes, it's easier for us all to make assumptions based on the knowledge we have, rather than waiting to know for certain.
Mikel Arteta turned down Arsenal once before, before they turned him down – if rumours are true, of course: another assumption we're all making with little confirmation from those involved. 10 years ago this May, the midfielder called time on a 17-year playing career at the Emirates Stadium, having completed his coaching badges and impressed those closest to him. It's been repeated that Arteta was always a manager in a player's body – and it's no surprise he was apparently offered a role in Arsenal's very own Hale End set-up. He declined.
