Mikel Arteta hasn’t ruled out bringing Henrikh Mkhitaryan back to Arsenal next season and says he’s always liked the midfielder.

It was something of a surprise when the Gunners sanctioned the midfielder’s exit just hours after he appeared in the North London derby in September.

Mkhitaryan seems to be enjoying himself at the Stadio Olimpico, scoring six goals and making three assists in 13 appearances and has since made clear life at the Emirates. wasn’t working for him.

Not long after his move, he said:“The last month at Arsenal I was not getting pleasure, so that’s why I said it was better to come to Roma and to get happy and to get the pleasure from playing football again.”

Mkhitaryan is likely to be available this summer if a suitor meets our asking price and both he and Roma have flirted about turning their current arrangement permanent.

For the time being, the boss says Mkhkitaryan, against whom he played on several occasions, could bring something to the Gunners.

“I always liked him,” Arteta told Goal.com ahead of Saturday’s game with West Ham.

“He is the kind of player who can fit in any team when he is at his best, he needs to do it consistently and that’s what we need to assess. It’s a possibility that we have and will consider.”

It’s worth remembering that Mkhitaryan is out of contract in the summer of 2021, he won’t be offered a new deal and it’s very unlikely we’re going to let him run his big-money deal.

With that in mind, everything points to him departing this year, despite the warm words.