He’s now the frontrunner for the Arsenal job.
Since injuries forced Mikel Arteta into an early retirement, he has dived straight into the world of coaching, and he’s been learning from the best. For the past two seasons, he has worked under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, who has smashed several records as they won the Premier League this season.
This summer could be the time for Arteta to make the step up into a managerial position, as he has emerged as the favourite for the vacant Arsenal job, with Arsène Wenger on his way out after 22 years.
It was thought that Max Allegri was ready to leave Juventus and take the Arsenal job, but it would appear that he has had a change of heart, making Mikel Arteta the frontrunner.
Pep Guardiola has endorsed his colleague, saying that “he wants the best for his friend.” Reading between the lines, it’s clear that Guardiola believes Arteta would be capable of succeeding in the job.
It comes as a bit of a surprise that Guardiola would speak so freely of his right hand man moving away from him, but it just goes to show the strength of the pair’s connection that friendship would overcome business.
Guardiola on Arteta's potential move to Arsenal: "I want the best for my friends, and he is a friend of mine."
— Sam Lee (@SamLee) May 13, 2018
If Arteta were hired by Arsenal, it would likely go down well at Arsenal, given his popularity at the club during his playing days. However, some fans were disappointed by Arteta’s decision to move to City to work as a coach. If he were to return to the Emirates and steady the ship in what will surely be a difficult transition period, he would surely regain a lot of that popularity.
