TNT Sports
Arteta off to Sociedad
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Published 09/07/2004 at 11:22 GMT+1
Real Sociedad have agreed a deal to sign Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta from Glasgow Rangers for €4 million, according to the Primera Liga. Sociedad said the 22-year-old, who has been at Rangers for the last two seasons, will sign a four-year deal with t
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Arteta was born in the Basque city of San Sebastian where Sociedad are based, but began his career in the youth ranks at Barcelona before being loaned out to Paris St Germain in 2000.
Two years later Rangers paid an estimated $10 million to sign him from Barcelona.
He played a key role in helping the club win the Scottish title in 2003 when he scored a last-minute penalty in their 6-1 rout of Dunfermline Athletic in their final league game of the season as they pipped arch-rivals Celtic on goal difference.
The young midfielder said that after spending so much of his career away from Spain he had jumped at the chance to return home to play for Sociedad.
"I didn't think twice when I knew Sociedad wanted to sign me," Arteta told the Sociedad website.
"I'm from San Sebastian, I've got family here and I've been a fan of the club since I was small. I said I would do anything to ensure the deal came off and at last it is a reality."
Sociedad said that the former Spain under-21 international would be presented to the media on Saturday after undergoing a routine medical and signing his new contract.
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