It’s becoming increasingly common for successful managers to only stay in a job for three or four years before moving on. It seems their message can only have an impact for so long or they need to take a break every now and again.
That’s been the case so far for Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, so it’s natural to ponder who could take over from him when he does decide to move on.
According to a report from The Mirror, his successor is already at the club in the shape of former Arsenal and Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta. When asked about the possibility of Arteta taking over from him, Guardiola said: “I’m pretty sure, yes. He will have success, yes. He had offers to leave but he decided to stay – thanks.”
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It’s interesting that he admits Arteta had offers to leave but didn’t. Guardiola’s confidence in him must show they don’t feel he needs to go somewhere else to prove himself before taking the main job at The Etihad.
It could become interesting if a position becomes available at one of his former clubs. There’s no obvious sign that Pep wants to move on yet so Arteta might decide he wants to become a manager in his own right at some point soon.
Unai Emery is under intense scrutiny at Arsenal after a poor start to the season so it’s easy to see a situation where he gets moved on at some point this season. Turning to their former captain to replace him would be an obvious option, he would need to decide if that would be a good move. It could prevent him getting the City job at a later date but it would also be an excellent chance to manage at the top level.
Steven Gerrard has also proven doing a good job at Rangers can bring a bit of attention from the media in England. Arteta did play for Rangers after leaving Barcelona so that could be another job he might consider if it became available.