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Football London
Football London
Sport
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

Arsenal fans noticed the Raul Sanllelhi reference Mikel Arteta made in his first press conference

Mikel Arteta was introduced to the media as the new Arsenal head coach on Friday afternoon.

And there's one particular line which has got supporters talking.

Just a few hours after his Emirates Stadium return was confirmed, the 37-year-old sat down for his first ever press conference as a head coach at the ground.

Mikel Arteta's first Arsenal press conference in full

There he was grilled by the media about his decision to step out on his own after being Pep Guardiola's assistant head coach at Manchester City since retiring in the summer of 2016.

When asked why now was the right time to become a head coach, Arteta's response didn't go over the heads of some Gunners fans' heads.

"Because sometimes in this industry you can have a plan, an idea or a way to develop the best possible way," the Spaniard told repoters. "Then the emotions get involved.

"When Arsenal knocks on any door, it's difficult to say no.

"When it knocks on my door, this is my house and it makes it very difficult. It was a very difficult decision, it's true, but also I felt that the club needed someone to appoint. I saw that and they transmitted that.

"They were so convinced that they wanted to go with me, that I had to take the challenge."

Of course, the 'knock on the door' line is in reference to Raul Sanllelhi.

The Arsenal Head of Football got supporters excited ahead of the summer transfer window when he said: "We are a reference in the football world, so when Arsenal knocks on the door of players it’s a different knock than other clubs.'

A few months later and the club managed to sign Nicolas Pepe for a record £72m fee.

That line prompted a huge reaction on social media.

Take a look at what's been said...

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