Mikel Arteta says missing out on the Arsenal job doesn’t feel so bad given he gets to work day in, day out with Manchester City’s stellar squad.
The Spaniard, who has been assistant to Pep Guardiola at the Etihad for two seasons, was the front-runner to take over from Arsene Wenger when the Gunners began their hunt for a new head coach back in May.
It’s understood the 36-year-old was so close to an Emirates return that he’d started house hunting in North London before Ivan Gazidis got cold feet about his inexperience and switched attention to Unai Emery.
To date, our former club captain has stayed quiet on the way things panned out, however, sent in place of Guardiola (banned by UEFA) to face the media ahead of City’s Champions League clash with Lyon he finally touched on the subject.
“The decision was made and I am so happy the decision was made,” he said.
“I am privileged to be where I am. I feel very fulfilled. If you ask, one day in the future, will I be a coach? The answer is probably yes.
“But I am very happy where I am and there is still a lot of room for this club to grow.
He added: “For me, we have the best players in the world and I look at our players as if they are the best. I wouldn’t change my players for any others. They are absolutely fantastic.
“I look at the players, I see how they behave, how they react. The positives, negatives, their qualities and weaknesses.”
To be fair, City, one of the favourites for this season’s Champions League, do have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal and Arteta is getting to learn from one of the best coaches there has ever been.
If Unai’s process doesn’t go to plan, I’m sure we can dig out Mikel’s phone number again.
I don’t see why he wouldn’t be considered in the future. Personnell will have changed dramatically by the time Emery decides he’s done what he can.
Who knows what the future will bring, but with Henry, Viera and Arteta all in the beginnings of their managerial careers, with Viera currently the one with the most experience in the role, we may yet see one of these guys in the Arsenal tactical area.
For now, we have Emery, and he needs our support and backing.
That said, I wish Arteta well, except when we next play City ?
I doubt that he would be interested after they canceled the decision to appoint him literally minutes before he was about to be presented as new manager.
Can understand the doubts that some people had over his appointment due to the lack of experience but I still think we have missed out on probably one of the greatest managers around in the future.
What makes it even worse for me is the fact that Ivan said they’ve appointed Unai because he had detailed dossiers about every player and where he sees them in the future but now, about 2-3 months later, I don’t have the feeling that Unai is very sure which are the best positions for which players. He has the same problems to fit Özil and Ramsey & Auba and Laca in the team that Wenger had. Don’t have the feeling that he has a clear view on how he wants to play and with which players in which positions he… Read more »
My problem with Gazidis is he says one thing and does another.
Good job that door is firmly shut in my book.
Bye Ivan!
Players’ form is the major factor here.
You could see pretty clearly he intended to play Auba upfront, until the latter disappointed us all, making Emery shift his choices.
Same can be said for Ozil and his poor start.
I guess we will never get the full story here, and Arteta strikes me as very sensible and highly intelligent. I very much doubt this experience will cause him to burn bridges with the club.
I genuinely hope he does go on to become a top boss, if it’s with us in the future all the better.
‘I doubt that he would be interested after they canceled the decision to appoint him literally minutes before he was about to be presented as new manager’
Not a fact.
Not a fact? Well, that’s why Gazidis himself said at Unai’s arrival that he knows that the press had to rewrite their stories on short notice. Maybe it was rather hours than minutes but that Arteta was almost certain to become the new manager is a fact that hasn’t been denied by anyone.
He never said that was not a fact. That is indeed common knowledge. He’s saying one can only guess whether Arteta will take up the Arsenal job if he’s given it again, and that won’t qualify as a fact.
He said they had to rewrite their stories; that clearly isn’t him acknowledging that their stories were correct.
David Ornstein is the one in the media who has the correct Arsenal info always. While the rest of the media were calling Arteta as manager, Ornstein never once did….but he was the first one to call it as Emery.
Maybe you’re right & one day we will know for sure…but it simply isn’t a fact….and we all know how you feel about people who portray what they hear in the media as fact.
I think the comment about press rewriting their statements was more a poke at the assumptions they were making. Artetta must have been close but never “literally minutes away”
Those who talk won’t know. Those who know won’t talk. One of IG’s finest contributions.
“One of the greatest managers around in the future.” Wow!
Managerial careers are no different from footballing careers – it could go any way.
We have seen promising young footballers – boys that were deemed certain to take the football world by storm – like a certain lad who now plays for West Ham – fizzle out like a column of smoke.
The same goes for managers. Arteta could truly be one of the greatest managers in the future, but that is not a given.
that’s why I said that I think he will be one one of the greatest, not that its guaranteed.
I remember when people used to think Tony Adams would be a great manager…
Totally off subject but that lot just Spudsed it up big time in the CL. My neighbour just smashed something when the second inter goal went in. Hilarious!
Shit just got more real… ?
Anyone watching the Liverpool game? To me, Liverpool have looked a little less dangerous this season than the last. But they look like a team that is definitely more organized and not any longer heavily reliant on the front three. I mean it is easier to understand the pressing game from watching them than from watching Arsenal at the moment (which is stating the obvious). I think we have looked pretty dangerous going forward in phases; if only our attackers gain a little more confidence (except for Lacazette, everyone else have looked a bit hesitant in the final third, especially… Read more »
Saw it…only reasin they won against PSG is their work rate. Their front three worked hard in addtion to the midfield while PSG front four were just waiting for the ball and watching. I can understand why Klopp said he wouldnt swap his front 3 for PSGs… Mbappe needs to get out of PSG to get away from Neymar’s primadonna mentality.
And what a player that kid is …probably Wenger’s greatest miss. Would have been the second coming of Thierry Henry…(sigh!)
Yup, you’re right. About their work-rate and that Mbappe. I keep thinking the same about Wenger missing out on him too. In his defence, he did genuinely try to sign him though, but I feel he always knew that PSG would always beat our offer by a 100 million margin.
The real bummer was not that Wenger missed him last year but rather we missed out on him the prior year due to not wanting to pay his family a fee (I understand the fine line of how much to pay young players). There really was no chance he was ever coming last year once he had already exploded onto the scene
Yup, while being patient, one Europa Cup would be nice
Have to remember Liverpool started without Firmino and Keita, and Fabinho still hasn’t settled enough to start games, and they still beat a team many expect to go far in the CL. There’s an argument that Ox would start ahead of Wijnaldum if fit as well. They look very scary atm but it wasn’t always like this, their fans and the board gave Klopp time and we need to do the same for Emery, as hard as that might be.
We’d need better defenders, van dijk is a beast amd they improved massively at the back once they signed him.
And Trent-Alexander too. That is pure Klopp magic, getting an unknown teenager to convincingly start in a Champions League final, and then him cementing his place in the first team for good. What the hell man? Not fair.
With a Spanish director of football it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think Arteta would be highly considered after Emery, me thinks.
It’s not too early to be thinking “after Emery” already?
I’m happy that Arteta is happy after missing out. I’m also happy that he missed out. We need(ed) experience.
I’m happy that you’re happy about Arteta being happy.
And I’m happy that you’re…
happy?
I just have to ask you… are you Kanu with a cold?
Am kinda OK with Emery ?