The only good thing about Arteta is that he is not Wenger…

The reasons for the poor choice of Arteta by Konstantin Mitov

So there it is. After a very long and difficult battle to finally convince this board we need to part with Arsene, the topic of his successor much reminded Arsenal fans of former transfer windows. All the big names linked, favourites rotating by the day and at the end it’s all a smoke screen and we get second best.

Welcome Mikel Arteta. It’s not certain, but it’s highly probable. There are obvious reasons for this. We reportedly contacted Enrique and he said he needs 200 million. Allegri supposedly also wants financial backings. Maybe if people who’ve won numerous trophies at the top level want this kind of budget, it’s kind of necessary to help them challenge.

Our squad needs massive repairs starting with a new GK, two CB, a RB and a DM. That’s only the defensive part. We don’t have a single winger, although we have like 5 number 10 wannabees. With a budget of 50 million we can at best buy 2 players and that still leaves at least 3 short of a competitive squad.

Top managers come with a price, because they know success. You can’t put the manager of a 10 man company to be a CEO of a 200 people one. The scale is different. This is why Moyes failed at United. This is why you have managers that are very good at fighting the drop like Allardyce ,who fail miserably when it comes to managing a bigger budget like he did at Everton.

There is of course the odd cases of where a former player becomes manager and achieves success, but please don’t give Zidane as an example. The squad he has at Madrid is unbelievable. With those players and the level of La Liga it’s impossible to drop out of the top 4 in Spain with almost anyone you employ.

But apart all that, we’re talking Zinedine Zidane. One of the best footballers of all time, who has achieved pretty much everything in world football and can command respect in the dressing room, and there are some major egos in Real Madrid. You can make a similar argument with Enrique, who had 3 of the best strikers in the world. Three of the top 5 is not even arguable when you speak of MSN. Just think how Suarez almost carried Liverpool to a title and then add Neymar and a little old Messi. At Arsenal such luxury is unthinkable.

Good examples of managers who come from lower ranking are the likes of Klopp, Tuchel and Simeone. Particularly the last one is the most successful of the lot, given the competition he faces and what he’s done. But all of the three didn’t start their careers at Dortmund or Atletico Madrid. They managed elsewhere and their ability to transform a team was recognised before they were appointed.

Now let’s talk Arteta. His strongest argument for taking the job is not being Wenger, which is worrying on its own. He’s highly regarded at City as the man who talks the instructions to the players. But there’s a catch. It’s Pep who’s giving them and he’s the one sitting on the touchline when the game starts. As good of a talker as Mikel is, he’s not the main man and he never has been.

After all he’ll be taking Arsenal football club, which will continue to be a joke if we appoint him. And here enters the Board. I was very impressed with the additions of Mislintat and Sanllehi. I really believe those two had a very positive influence and the signings of Mkhi and Auba gave me a bit of optimism. Than Ivan finally built a strong enough force to overthrow the Wenger empire and I really like the clearout of the entire backroom staff.

But this was the obvious part of the job. Now comes the unknown part of who comes in. If we appoint Arteta who does he bring in? The team at City is built around Pep and they won’t leave him. We’ll appoint Ljungberg probably and maybe some other former players, but where are the experienced people? Those who are never mentioned, but are a key part of successful squads? Arteta doesn’t have such people, he has to make them at Arsenal.

The reason this is such a big deal is that the fanbase is divided already. We all turned on the same page with Wenger leaving, but now if we don’t appoint a big name, there won’t be a lot of optimism for the future. The atmosphere at the Emirates has been far from great for the past 2 seasons and the moment Mikel Arteta doesn’t work out, it will turn sour again.

What exactly has Mikel Arteta done for Arsenal as captain? Won an FA cup. He doesn’t command respect as we have players like Cech who’ve achieved more than him, heck even Koscielny, Ramsey and Wilshere have GOT 3 FA cups to their names. And then there is Ozil, a man with more fanboys than Arteta will ever have at Arsenal. You think Mikel will have the power and authority to bench him when he doesn’t perform?

Arteta is top choice because there is nobody else. Low signed with Germany, top names want money, we’re somehow not interested in Jardim, who fits our model perfectly, we don’t dare ask Simeone, although a manager like him would help fix a lot of the problems we have and might bring in some trophies as he won the Europa League again. We can’t even take Nagelsmann who’s another one of those Germans who quite literally made something from nothing at Hoffenheim.

Mikel Arteta is not a bold choice, it’s a stupid one. It’s the worst option in a market full of promising ones. this is all down to the board and the owner. Until the Kroenke’s follow Wenger out of the door, any success we achieve is likely to be based on a miracle. And I would be less than surprised if by mid January we’re already too far behind in the top 4 race. I’d love to eat my words and I’ll be the first to admit to being wrong on this site if this happens to work out, but as Wenger learned the hardest way possible – nothing in football happens by Coincidence!

Konstantin

77 Comments

  1. You don’t belong here n this sire Konstantin common sense is not a valued or appreciated commodity.

    Que all the fake accounts to make ridiculous suggesting an about Arteta

    1. John0711,I am genuinely interested in why you think anyone who posts anything remotely positive about Arteta is either a new fan or a fake account.

      1. Trudeau
        Iv been on this site a while and I have notice some (not all) new comments regarding Arteta which are so far fetched I refuse to assume anyone if that silly eg
        Viera is the best choice to be arteras assistant

        1. Fair enough. I haven’t seen many of those, just a lot of folks wanting desperately to see the glass as half full for once.

    2. I did not like Wenger one bit but Arteta is peanut compared to Wenger.he will never come even close to Wenger and relegate Arsenal.We should boo Arteta from first day of his appointment to make our resentment known!

      1. Cagri, I don’t like the choice of Arteta too but it would be unfair to boo him if he is named head coach of Arsenal. It won’t be Arteta’s fault if he is appointed.

  2. We all want an experience coach yes, we all want top coaches. No doubt. But we all know how the board is, the stinginess and greed is out of this world for a top club like Arsenal.
    But it’s not Arteta’s fault Arsenal is approaching him, hell even Gerrard would be glad if Arsenal approached him. If Arteta is the coach, the least we can do is give him the benefit of the doubt and see how he performs before we judge.
    I for one know that no matter how bad it’s gon get, we can’t finish below 6, we’ve already faced the bad side this season. With our squad I don’t think Arteta would be bad enough to finish below 6.
    Let’s just try to stand together first, we don’t want to fill the club with negative vibes again like last season. It’s gon be a new season, if Arteta gets appointed then we have no choice but to watch how hr performs first.
    don’t cast him out, and whatever happens, It’s gon be the board’s fault

    1. Every comment and article written about Arsenal by Arsenal supporters like I am presupposes that the club is a football club first and a business second… I beg to differ this clubs priority is to make money. They will spend only enough on players to keep us in the top ten, and if they made enough money and we finished below that, the board would not blink an eye, That is why we end up with the likes of the Holdens, Gabriels, ]enkinsons and Mustafis etc.

  3. I am also disappointed, if we end up with Arteta, as he has absolutely no track record as manager. To me, that is a massive gamble.
    However, Guardiola almost went straight from playing to managing Barcelonas B team for a couple of years and on to managing the “A-team” with huge succes an further on with huge succes. I don’t buy the argument that he only has had succes, because he has had great players etc.
    He is now a proven winner in jobs with huge pressure on the manager.
    In theory Arteta may do similar things. But it is still a gamble.
    Unfortunately, we also have to be realistic. For someone who are or has been managing one of the top clubs in Spain, Germany or Italy, how attractive is it to move to the no. 6 club in England? It is hardly a step upwards is it?
    So we may have to accept less, than a very top name.

    1. Arsenal managerial job would be attractive because Arsenal is one of the most popular/ richest club in the world and the job is relatively very secured

      Mourinho used to envy Wenger a lot because of Wenger was not sacked despite the years of failures

      1. True.
        But I also think top managers have ambitions to win things and to move forward in their careers. At the moment, we honestly don’t seem to offer that prospect, if you already are managing a top European club.

    2. Erm, name a league Guardiola has coached in where he wasn’t in charge of the best team in the league.
      Barca already had Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and co. And we’re already dominating Real.
      Bayern, no other team in bundesliga has half as good a squad as Bayern. Besides his predecessor also won the league, he didn’t win anything extra in Germany.
      At City, he went trophyless in his first year despite having the best and richest squad in the league.
      He then spends over £200M and wins the title at a canter and he is applauded.
      He should rightfully be praised for playing style but nothing more. Because he is yet to win anything new with City.
      Mancini and Pellegrini before him all won the PL courtesy of the same Riches he is enjoying.

  4. Viera would have been a far better option. He hold credentials that are way better than arteta. He won the league and is part of the invicibles squad and actually has experience. Makes you wonder what is really going on at arsenal. Why pick a dude with no presence. The only reason I can think is that he will do as he is told and not argue too much wjen it comes to finances. Kreonke has done a number on us yet again. I really hope we dont get arteta and if we do I hope he does well. But I cant see it at all what so ever happening. I see us drifting even further down the table with no european football at all less money and less fans. Our once beautiful aspriring club is being ran into the ground.

    1. What makes you think Vieira would be better than Arteta? Whereas it is true that Vieira was a better player than Arteta this doesn’t mean that Vieira would make a better coach. Many of the top managers were not top players. What needs to be done now is to give Arteta our full support and see how much he can achieve. He could surprise all of us.

  5. No worries @Konstantin, maybe Arteta is going to be hired so Arsenal can wait longer for their real target, Allegri

    As we all know, it would be very costly to snatch Allegri now and that cost will be better allocated on some expensive players

    While waiting for Allegri’s contract (or Zidane’s, Guardiola’s, Klopp’s, etc) to expire, Arsenal could gamble a bit by hiring an unemployed manager or a legendary Gunner. Which is most likely not Arteta, but it could be Vieira or Henry

  6. My top 3 things about Arteta-

    1) Not Wenger
    2) Immaculate hair
    3) Can help Iwobi prefect the short sideways/backwards pass

  7. Stupid comments. So what did Mourinho achieve as a player before his first managerial job?

    Heard he was an interpreter

  8. The board is the main probleme in this club giving it to Arrêta instead of Ancelotti is suicidal

  9. Buffoon has left juventus and I would like Arsenal to offer him a 2yr contract he still has it.Czech has failed terribly and should be sold.Buffon will instill the winning mentality which this club lost since the invincible era.

  10. The issue is that for all the positives there are for appointing Arteta they are evened out by the negatives.Then again that could well be the case whoever is chosen to replace Wenger.Its safe to say the three top managers that were in the mix Allegri Simeone and Enrique are not now being considered for whatever reasons.So who exactly does that leave?Ancellotti to me is far too old school and Benitez is too safe a bet.If we are then talking Jardim Nagglesman etc then at least you could say Arteta knows the Premiere League from both a playing and coaching perspective.This along with the fact he knows and respects the Club and it’s values doesn’t necessarily make him the wrong choice due to lack of experience of ever managing a Club.
    It’s very very difficult to call this which makes the correct appointment even harder to predoct

    1. Phil, I’m interested to know your opinion on whether you think Arteta with either Patrick or Thierry as right hand man could work.

        1. I can see Arteta bring in Carzola as his #2 have Henry or Vieira not gonna work because of chemistry and both are a little bit older than him same case with Steve Bould a good coach/Manager can be judged on how he used to play himself on pitch if he had intelligence on how to play he will be one but not Sam Allardyce

          1. Arsenal main problem for over ten years has been squad balance and recruitment and had single person has a final say

  11. Why are people always so negative about other people? How many trophies did Guardiola win before Barca hired him? How many did a certain multiple BPL winner win before he was shown the door in Spain?

    Is the hiring of a coach that comes with a big name a guarantee of ANYTHING?

    Do people realists the effect of their action/utterance on the overall wellbeing of the club? Yesterday it was Wenger out. Today it is Kroenke out. Tomorrow, whose turn will it be? Do people realise that being a fan comes with responsibilities, part of which does not include making judgements on other people’s employees?

    Those Burnley and Huddersfield fans calling Arsenal fans names might actually have a point. It was Wenger Out, then on his way, out came all kinds of nice words. Hypocrisy must have a different meaning in their book.

    If the board wants to hire Arteta, let them. Judge the soundness of that decision afterwards, not before. Nobody knows everything except your name is God Almighty, and the outcome of the decision to hire anybody is in the realm of the unknown.

  12. I do not want Arteta as the choice as it suggests the club are again being cheap and penny pinching with funds. However if he is selected I will support the club until results suggest he’s not up to it or the board does back him. It’s suggested that the club have a budget of 50m if that’s true it’s a crime which should be met with protests, if the board spend big then they must really think he’s the man

    Time will tell

    1. Agree…investment in the squad is as important as manager appointment…I will give the benefit of doubt to the board on the manager but not on transfers…if we don’t have good defensive and midfield reenforcements, that would be inexcusable…
      The new manager needs the support of fans as well as the board with a strong squad to work with…

    2. Will it not be wise for everyone to hold on their opinions until we know who the coach is. What if it turns to be someone else. All these names calling and agitations will be for nothing.

  13. We can Moan all we want, but I remember someone saying here that arsenal are considered a big team simply because Arsene is here. it’s way too early but I start to feel so..

  14. Who ever they appoint surely it must be by the end of next week at the latest!! We need players signed before the world cup starts.. all this dithering just does my head in!! How many players have we missed out on in the last 5-10 years? Through dithering and penny pinching.. so wot makes us think that the board won’t short change us again? I mean aren’t we supposed to be in the top 6 richest clubs?? Well if that’s true make a statement.. Just because managers have contracts doesn’t mean we can’t sign them.. pay some compensation to their club offer them double or triple their wages and give them the financial backing.. MONEY TALKS.. so prove it!!

    I hear allegri is on 2m per season plus bonus.. so why don’t we offer him 6m per season (bear in mind Wenger was on 10m a season) and give him the financial backing whether it’s 50m or 250m back ur manager!! Get the deal done.. but hey if rumours are to be believed arteta is favourite so that is basically saying we want another shield or puppet or yes man with no real passion or authorities to stand up to the board.. I still prey usamov buys out kronke!! we shall see..

    #GOONER4LIFE

    1. Players will be signed by IRS (Ivan, Raul and Sven) not by the manager so while it would be nice to have a head coach in place it isn’t essential. Like it or not, it’s the new normal waterman Arsenal.

  15. Lacazette left out of the France squad for the world cup Thauvin and fekir preferred Martial also out wtf

  16. I support Argentina for the world cup,I want messi to win it because he is the best footballer ever until the end of the world there will be no one like messi

  17. Think of it this way;

    If your car needs repairs, are you happy with a rookie mechanic?

    If you need outpatient surgery, let the nurse perform procedure, nurse worked beside doctor for years.

    Next time you board an Airplane ask yourself, is it ok if the pilot is a rookie?

    Let’s just give the keys to a Ferrari to a teenager with no experience. We’ll support the kid of course and hope for the best.

    I mean the kid has to learn somehow right? Why not in a Ferrari?

    Somehow Arteta is considered “good choice” to lead Arsenal?
    Based on what? Once upon a time he played on an underachieving Arsenal squad which he captained?
    He was terrible DM, anyone remember? Tons of us mocked his endless backpassing, no pace or grit, etc…
    Because he sat alongside Pep and listened astutely?
    Arteta is still “grasshopper” nowhere close to master.

    Lastly, anyone else after him as manager? ANYONE?
    Not even MLS soccer is interested in Arteta!
    Patrick Viera managed in MLS several years with success at least.

    Trust is earned, not given. Arteta over his head on this one. Remember his panicked look as a DM on a counter attack? But hey, sure, it’s ok. Lets risk further damage to brand and reputation and go with an inexperienced guy.
    Future’s bright. Season tickets on sale yet?

        1. Why are you all giving him a yellow card, granted, none of us want to see a nurse coming at us with a sledgehammer, but he meant well.

    1. Success? Is this your idea of success.: oversees 85 matches WON: 38 D: 21 LOSS: 26 in three and a half seasons. No trophy, never played in a final and no European football experience as a coach. My point is his credential is as bad as Arteta. Arteta may not have won EPL as a player but he now does as a coach he has tasted the blood. Don’t tell me he was a “softy” as a player , how was being brute worked for Adams and The Neville brothers. l personally don’t have preference. Vieria ,fine. Arteta ,ok i need to know who first.

  18. (Singing and jumping out the emirates…)

    Give me arteta,
    Give us Mikel arteta,

    Give me Arteta,
    Upppppp Arteta…

  19. My anger is directed at the board which is almost anti-Arsenal in a sense. Or at least anti-ambition

    Hiring Arteta would make no sense to an Arsenal fan

    Again if he is the new manager he has got my 100% support

    1. Imagine how many champions league trophies Real Madrid would have lost out on if they thought that about Zidane…..

      1. Makes he laugh when people keep comparing the situations with Pep, and Zidane, with that of Arteta. Exactly what are the similarities?

        1. @ThirdManJW

          Three similarities between Pep and Arteta:

          1) Both are Spanish
          2) As of eight now, both have the same employer’s name on their payslip
          3) Both played in midfield

      2. Well zidane was a legend already, 3x world’s best. Even if he coughed players would listen. However, he honed his management skills with the Madrid B team. That didn’t mean he wasn’t a risk, just that he was a risk worth taking. Same with pep. Please what has arteta done to merit us taking a risk on him?

  20. The best thing about Arteta is Arteta being Arteta. You must be not right in the head if you expect great things from him, and this is what makes him a fav. He can be easy replaced and no one will mind when it comes to it. Gary Nevill went on an adventure and came back from it as expected with no great merits.

    So let the board experiment on managers. Fans might not have it, but if they wont to pock fans patience let them and see where such actions will bring them in the end. Arsenal has lost its spark a long time ago anyway. So lets keep on watching and see how this story will end. Cant get any worse than this.

    1. Arteta is nothing like Neville. He hasn’t been in a studio with make up on, he’s been in a club learning his trade

        1. Have you ever been north? With all that wind and rain he still has legoman hair. That is a better achievement than going a whole season unbeaten

  21. Mark my word Arteta will be a huge success for Arsenal.He will be better than all the managers has been linked with us

  22. I do not think that the board and the supporters are on the same page. Appointing Arteta is a huge sporting risk but may make financial sense. Add to that a $50 million dollar transfer budget, and the club remains solid financially but average on the football side. I am afraid that soon people will appreciate that in some seasons Wenger actually overachieved given the budgetary constraints. People always use Pep and Zidane as examples, but they don’t tell us that those two never worked with small budgets and average teams. Enrique already had managerial experience at the top level before going back to Barca. Mourinho spent time at Porto before going to Chelsea where he literally bought success. Since then he has always worked with huge budgets. What did Gary Neville and Tony Adams achieve as rookie managers? Arteta is a risk; and that risk tells us where the board’s priorities are. How much they are willing to pay him, and how much is available for transfers also tell us further what this is all about. This new strategy is not a footballing strategy, but just a business strategy. For all his failures Wenger was still top class. Most supporters expected someone whose track record is better than Wenger’s not a legend who has never managed a game.

  23. Next season will be interesting. I personally don’t see how Arteta will last long. Arsenal need a culture change, and Arteta continues tradition of Arsenal being pushovers. Sad truth. I will hope his management style is much more hands-on than I am assuming and he’s able to get some passion into this team. The Arsenal squad needs a huge shake-up in mentality. I just dont see Arteta changing this. I will support him and hope for the best nonetheless.

  24. Apparently arteta helped some 0f the younger players at city develop this season I’m prepared to give him a chance! Iwobi n bellerin are not bad players they just stopped developing under wenger! Arteta is not pep but he must have learnt a few tricks and stold ideas with his eyes

    1. I’d like to see Bielik brought in to play in front of our defence. Niles on bench, and bring in a ball playing CM player ..would love to see Fekir given it a go but 1st of all I doubt we could nab him and 2ndly he’d probably be a bit wasted back in CM. But someone like that who can dribble, they can pass, create and score, with allot of energy in their game.

      Iwobi needs to be loaned out, he looked alright there at the end, prob our most creative if Mkhitaryan wasn’t playing along with Ozil Ramsey. But he’s too slow in the head in my opinion, if he has plenty of time and space he can look good, but a quicker game always seems to pass him by, he’s too rattled under pressure.

  25. replace Koscienly, Mustaffi, Bellerin Ozil and Arteta will challenge for EPL. l have seen Attacking Midfielders in the past and trust me, I can draw a list of 30 who are better with the exclusion of Ozil. with Auba/Lacaz combo we should be scoring goals at plenty. Fab4 would have been the best if Wenger had given him good strikers like this two

  26. Arteta would not fail

    Gazadis will not allow it…since its his first appointment…..

    his target is top 4 which is achievable…..

    with Auba, Lacazette, they guarantee goals……they are our Sallah and Kane….

    Arteta only needs to strengthen the defense and we will be good for top 4

  27. I think we’re looking at things the wrong way. There most be a reason why arsenal wanted to give arteta a coaching role the moment he retired and a reason why pep made him his number two. Most of the best coaches in the world didn’t have a good football career. I’m sure mourinho didn’t even our beloved wenger

    1. the fans always assume objective is the title….but the owner’s objective was top 4

      1. If city become the equivalent of Barcelona, with over hundred goals scored also 100 points reached, well then top for is the objective because we will not be rivaling that anytime soon. If I was to bet on next season, I’d go with Liverpool (for the odds) because title winners usually lose a step the following season, but am not sure if this will be the case for Pep as he’ll introduce more competition into his squad. So am not gonna bet on next season winner.

  28. I really hope we get Seri or someone better.
    Our central midfield and Ozil missed Cazorla big time over the past couple of seasons
    We need at least 1 top CM but I reckon we need two ie Top defensive midfielder and box2box

    Also we NEED reliable quality CB too
    And a goalkeeper

    Our spine needs to be strengthened (except up front. We are good with Aubameyang and Lacazette. A nice parting gift from Wenger)

    1. parting gift not really from Wenger

      Should thank Gazadis and or the board for approving the funds for the signings….they could have op for cheaper signings like they always do

  29. All season ticket sold . Blame yourself Gooners !!! Do not buy tickets until he shows ambitious to win the title

  30. Most people seem to fear failure. So they want to predict success which they won’t believe if Arteta brings it. Let’s give anyone the chance to do the work to his ability. Even when Wenger came to Arsenal they asked Wenger who?
    I think all the changes that were happening from scouting before Wenger departure seems to point to the idea that the board was makung decisions for someone ( maybe also consulted) on the way forward.

    Let’s give then a chance.

    1. most people wants the club to become like City….big name big tag big spending……but no one wants to admit to it….

      Arteta maybe inexperience but lets give him a chance….maybe he will succeed maybe he wouldn’t……
      but he knows the league the club and some of the players…..

      With the strikers we have Auba and Laca, the playmakers Ozil and Mkhi……more than half the work has already been cut out……

      tighten the defense we will be good for top 3 the very least

  31. You say this is a stupid choice, but we have limited options and you brag about how much you want Arsene gone. Almost everyone bayed for him to step down this season, the options are what they are so no point complaining about it now. Allegri still has contract, Simeone still has a contract. Ancelotti is a winner but not without an advantage or an even playing field at top table. Also we don’t even know if any of them would want to move to us at this time even if they weren’t at good clubs or didn’t get their dream offer.

    It’s obvious what the club are thinking, and it’s not about saving money. They look at some younger coaches getting their shot and not disappointing. Zidane, Pep, Enrique, they all had something in common, they loved the clubs they played for and were prob more afraid of disappointing than someone without a connection to the club. Germany, more and more we see young managers get their shot and some of them done better than expected. So I think there is some analyzing going on behind the scenes, but a modicum of gamble too, but there is always that.

  32. my option is to hire a mercenary manager like Ancelotti on a short term contract lets say 2 years with Arteta as his assistant to learn the ropes.

  33. I don’t have problem with Arteta if the opportunity is given to him, my problem with this team is our First choice CBs, RB and of course, Ozil who feels he’s too big for Arsenal. If we can replace this four players, we will challenge for EPL

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