Mikel Arteta today revealed he would like to finish his career at Arsenal and insists he is yet to reach his peak.
The midfielder turned 30 on Monday and has been an important part of the Gunners’ revival this season after joining the club for £10million on deadline day last August from Everton.
Arteta signed a four-year deal and although the Spaniard is unsure how long he can continue to be involved at the highest level, he cannot see himself extending his playing days beyond his stay at Emirates Stadium.
“I am concentrating on enjoying my time in football and don’t know for sure when I am going to finish,” Arteta told Standard Sport. “If you’d said to me 10 years ago I would have played in four or five different countries, I would have not believed you.
“I would like to finish at Arsenal because I am happy here and I think they are the type of club that suit my life and personal ambitions.
“When they talk about players who are 30 or 31, you think about the end of their careers but I am feeling fresh and believe the best years are still ahead of me, hopefully.
“In the Spanish mentality, when you talk about being over 30, you are old. In England, they are more respectful. There are players who are 35, 36 and there are goalkeepers who are 40 who still play here and are respected. I prefer to call them experienced players.
“We have a lot of players who are 17 or 18 years of age and when I see players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming through, I am jealous. I wish I was 18 again.”
