Arsenal FC are reportedly closing in on finding their new manager and he’s someone the club is very familiar with. Mikel Arteta, former club captain, assistant under Arsene Wenger and current assistant at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola is lined up to succeed interim manager Freddie Ljungberg.
It could happen “in the coming days,” according to ESPN. Cub contract negotiator (Huss Fahmy) and director Vinai Venkatesham left Mikel Arteta’s home very early Monday morning (reportedly 1:20 am) after a two and a half hour meeting. This occurred just hours after Arteta was on the bench as his Man City side routed the Gunners in London.
It’s an extremely odd situation to say the least, on multiple levels. It remains to be seen whether or not Arsenal went through the proper channels in their negotiations. Did they approach City first? If so, why are they conducting talks in the middle of the night then?
As for the photo that was snapped of the club brass leaving Arteta’s home, obviously that person must have been tipped off by an insider somewhere. While the Arsenal manager search might be coming to an end soon, the club will no doubt end up paying a hefty price to City, plus you have the reputation and brand damage done after this strange weekend.
Multiple reports have indicated all along that the Kroenkes want a club man, and that Arteta, is the first choice/dream hire. He was heavily linked as the next man up 18 months ago when Wenger was forced to step down, and the Frenchman himself even endorsed the idea at the time.
He’s the right man if you’re going to for doing a long, but effective in the end rebuild. The 37-year-old, who has no experience as the head man of a senior team, is not the way you want to go if you want a quick fix though. People on both Guardiola’s and Wenger’s staffs speak very highly of him and his potential.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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