Mikel Arteta is being viewed as a potential successor to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola in the future after being overlooked for the Arsenal job, according to the Telegraph.
The Spaniard, who played for and captained the Gunners during his playing days, looks to have been snubbed in favour of Unai Emery, who is now the strong favourite to replace Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Stadium this summer, according to BBC Sport.
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Arteta’s inexperience may have counted against him for such a big job, but the Telegraph suggest Arsenal could look at him again in 2021 when Emery’s contract expires and Guardiola’s would also be about to run out at City.
Arteta is clearly rated highly by Guardiola and seems to have a bright future in the game as a manager, even if the Arsenal job ultimately came too soon for him this summer.
Gooners will be pleased to see their club opt for a more proven manager instead, with Emery winning major honours at PSG and Sevilla in recent times.
Still, there’ll be a few who’ll be keeping an eye on Arteta’s progress after such strong links with him, and with the Telegraph suggesting he’s in line for the City job at some point.
No doubt fans will end up slamming their club for overlooking the 36-year-old if he goes on to prove a big success elsewhere in the Premier League.