Mikel Arteta says his conscience is clear over the financial rule breaches committed by Manchester City during the period he served as assistant manager at the club.

Arteta worked under Pep Guardiola at City between 2016 and 2019 — a period that overlapped with nine seasons in which City have been found guilty of breaking Premier League rules and concealing secret payments of more than £830 million. The club has since appealed the ruling.

Speaking at his first news conference since the independent commission's findings were published, the Arsenal manager consistently deflected questions on the matter, insisting he wanted to "respect" what he described as an ongoing process. Yet one exchange cut through the careful messaging.

A one-word answer that said everything

After more than half an hour of questioning, a reporter pressed Arteta directly: "You were at City for three and a half years, is your conscience clear? You had a senior position there, is your conscience clear?"

Arteta's response was a single word: "Yes."

It was the only moment in the entire session where he stepped outside his prepared position of declining to comment until the appeals process reaches a conclusion. At no point was Arteta combative, but his intent to stick to a pre-determined line of response was evident throughout.

Respecting the process

When pressed on the independent commission's damning finding that City had arranged "sham contracts" with commercial partners to disguise earnings, Arteta held firm.

"I fully understand the question," he said, "but obviously I think it's very important that we respect the process, the timelines, and it's still an ongoing process that is not resolved because it's been appealed. My position, and I think the club's position, is not to make any further comments until this is fully resolved."

Asked whether the appeal and any resulting sanction needed to be settled within the current season to preserve the integrity of the Premier League, Arteta replied: "The people responsible to manage this process will come to the right conclusions and I'm sure it will be resolved in the right way. We have to trust that."

He also declined to confirm whether he had spoken to Guardiola since the ruling, saying only: "I prefer not to answer those questions."

Arteta added that he "100%" believes the Premier League remains the best league in the world.

Focus turns to Leeds

Arsenal, currently three points behind league leaders Manchester City, return to action on Saturday when they host fifth-placed Leeds at Emirates Stadium.