There is a very real animosity amongst a lot of Arsenal fans that the Board are making Mikel Arteta one of the favourites to fill the void left by Arsene Wenger’s departure, as they are of the belief that as one of the five richest clubs in the world, we should be targeting (ad getting) a proven, experienced trophy winner like Ancelotti, Allegri or countless other big name managers that we could have approached when they became available.
We are not the only ones, as the Guardian’s German football correspondent Raphael Honigstein completely agrees with us. “Well I think Pep Guardiola should have succeeded Arsene Wenger,” Honigstein said. “But they missed the boat on him, as well as on Jurgen Klopp and perhaps Thomas Tuchel.
“I think they find themselves in a very difficult market.
“The kind of coach that they want I think has big demands, both monetary and budget-wise for the new team, and is probably not really to their liking.
“So they might end up with somebody a little untried and untested.
“Everything at the moment points towards Mikel Arteta being at the very forefront of the contenders list.
“No experience, but of course an Arsenal background and highly-rated due to his personality, and of course a two-year stint under Pep Guardiola as his assistant at Man City.”
So could this be true? That the Arsenal Board have been reluctant to go for a tried-and-tested big-name manager for the simple reason that they would be demanding a massive transfer budget and probably wages to match?
If so, then Honigstein is absolutely right – Arteta must be the very hot favourite right now.
Darren N