The appointment of Mikel Arteta as Arsenal’s next manager has taken a sudden and uncanny twist.
It was widely reported that terms had been agreed between the two parties as his remuneration was being finalised.
The Sun claimed Arteta spent all of Tuesday at Arsenal’s training grounds, negotiating his arrival and even revealing his potential transfer targets. But weirdly, the 37-year-old was noticed right next to Pep Guardiola during Manchester City’s Carabao Cup fixture against Oxford United.
City seem to be holding out for a £1m fee as Arteta’s release clause, one Arsenal have baulked at. A BBC report claims Arsenal have still not contacted City about taking Arteta off their hands.
A City source was quoted as telling the BBC, “It’s surprising to hear that plans are being made by Arsenal to unveil our coach as their Head Coach on Friday on the basis that no contact has been made by the club to discuss this matter.”
This is seriously concerning for the Gunners as they continue to struggle under interim boss, Freddie Ljungberg. The Swede already informed the Arsenal board to make a quick decision on the managerial position. Fans were even starting to get behind Arteta’s appointment, despite the Spaniard lacking any top-level management experience.
Could the former Gunner go through a similar tale that occured in 2018? He heavily tipped to succeed Arsene Wenger when the North London side made a late decision and appointed Unai Emery instead. Are they looking at another profile which they have taken a liking to?
READ MORE: Guardiola issues warning to potential Arsenal manager Arteta
