Arsenal and Man City in tug of war over Mikel Arteta as Gunners eye new boss - EXCLUSIVE - 7M sport

Arsenal and Man City in tug of war over Mikel Arteta as Gunners eye new boss - EXCLUSIVE



Posted Sunday, December 08, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Arsenal and Man City in tug of war over Mikel Arteta as Gunners eye new boss - EXCLUSIVE
Arsenal and Man City in tug of war over Mikel Arteta as Gunners eye new boss - EXCLUSIVE (Image: Getty)

Manchester City No 2 Mikel Arteta has been linked with the vacant head coach role at Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is in the middle of a tug of war between Manchester City and his former club Arsenal who want him to be their next manager. The Gunners have put the Spaniard at the top of their wanted list to replace Unai Emery after Brendan Rodgers and Patrick Vieira committed themselves to Leicester and Nice.

Arteta was the favourite for the Arsenal job after Arsene Wenger stood down 18 months ago but missed out to the more experienced Emery.

However, he is yet again in the running to take over at the Emirates Stadium.

Premier League champions City see him as a key part of Pep Guardiola’s backroom team, though, and would like him to stay in the North West until the summer at the very least.

Guardiola, who himself only has 18 months left on his contract and is yet to talk about a new deal, sees Arteta, 37, as his heir to the City throne when he decides it’s time to vacate it.

Arteta has also been linked with the Everton job is believed to be interested in listening to what the Arsenal board have got to say because he believes this could be the right time to step from outside Guardiola’s shadow.

The Gunners want to appoint someone permanently as soon as possible in a bid to stop their season from spiralling out of control after a poor run of form which has left them 10 points off the Champions League places.

Guardiola spoke glowingly of Arteta in his press conference ahead of the Manchester derby and responded to a question asking whether the former Arsenal midfielder could be his successor at City by saying: “I’m pretty sure, yes.

“He will have success, yes. But he decided to stay - thanks - but everyone decides what he’ll do in the future. Sooner or later it’s going to happen.

“He’s a young manager, he’s 37, so he is so young but he has experience already to handle big players and teams and when it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.

“He’s helped me a lot. From day one, so not just the last two seasons, from day one.

“He has an incredible work ethic, and he has a special talent to analyse what happens, and to find the solutions.

“We talk a lot about what he believes and feels and so on. He helped me a lot, especially in the first year. He knew the Premier League - like for example in games against Stoke or whatever.

“He can tell me about the players we will face better than myself, because he played against them and was in the Premier League for ten or 11 years. That’s a long time.

“He’s so happy when we win but suffers when we don't and that is why he tries to find a solution.

“He’s an incredible human being, with incredible values about what it means in the locker room to be together.

“And he is already an incredible manager and he’ll have incredible success in his future. We see the football in really quite a close way.”

Guardiola also suggested in a sit-down with Sky Sports that he would not stop Arteta from joining Arsenal or Everton, though.

“I’m not a guy that puts a gun to the heads of my staff or players and says what they have to do,” he said.

“We are human beings and everyone has dreams and desires. Hopefully he can stay this season and the next one – as long as possible in this club.

“That would be my dream, but Mikel has his own life and I will never say what he has to do.”



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