<p class="title">Arsenal have appointed former midfielder Mikel Arteta as their head coach on a 3-1/2 year contract, the Premier League club said on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arteta, who made 149 appearances for Arsenal between 2011 and 2016 before joining Manchester City's coaching staff, will replace fellow Spaniard Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This is a huge honour. Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game," Arteta said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arsenal are 10th in the league table, seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, after five victories in 17 matches this season.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Emery was sacked last month after Arsenal's 2-1 Europa League home defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt which extended their win-less run in all competitions to seven games, their worst streak since February 1992 under George Graham.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After Arsenal's 3-0 league defeat by Manchester City on Sunday, interim manager Freddie Ljungberg urged the club hierarchy to make a quick decision over the identity of their next permanent manager.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arteta was named by British media as one of the candidates in the running to replace former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger in 2018 before the club appointed Emery.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 37-year-old has enjoyed a successful spell at Manchester City as assistant to head coach Pep Guardiola, helping the club to consecutive league titles over the last two seasons.</p>
<p class="title">Arsenal have appointed former midfielder Mikel Arteta as their head coach on a 3-1/2 year contract, the Premier League club said on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arteta, who made 149 appearances for Arsenal between 2011 and 2016 before joining Manchester City's coaching staff, will replace fellow Spaniard Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This is a huge honour. Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game," Arteta said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arsenal are 10th in the league table, seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, after five victories in 17 matches this season.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Emery was sacked last month after Arsenal's 2-1 Europa League home defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt which extended their win-less run in all competitions to seven games, their worst streak since February 1992 under George Graham.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After Arsenal's 3-0 league defeat by Manchester City on Sunday, interim manager Freddie Ljungberg urged the club hierarchy to make a quick decision over the identity of their next permanent manager.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arteta was named by British media as one of the candidates in the running to replace former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger in 2018 before the club appointed Emery.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 37-year-old has enjoyed a successful spell at Manchester City as assistant to head coach Pep Guardiola, helping the club to consecutive league titles over the last two seasons.</p>