The brightest reputation can be gone in an instant
IS MIKEL ARTETA the man for the job?
That was the question which Arsenal director Josh Kroenke was busy answering in his own mind during the final rubberstamping session after an interview process that lasted two-and-a-half hours.
But another big question – given the ease of Manchester City’s 3-0 win on Sunday and the chaos that has followed Unai Emery’s exit – will have been running through the thoughts of the 37-year-old Spaniard sat on the other side of the room.
Why would a man, clearly set for an auspicious managerial career, cut his teeth sorting out the mess that Arsenal has become?
Luckily for the Gunners, he appears to have come up with a right reason – if only blind loyalty to a club he served for five years as a player.
Indications are that Arteta is ready to answer Freddie Ljungberg’s virtual plea to relieve him of his duties after a disastrous caretaker period in charge.
Within hours of Ljungberg telling the board “a decision has to be made”, the man in charge of the process, Vinai Venkatesham, was jetting to Manchester to meet with the preferred candidate.
The fact he took contract lawyer Huss Fahmy with him suggested this was no mere interview – provided they could persuade Arteta to dip his toe into a head coach’s role. In the Emirates reception area after Sunday’s game, City’s man of the match, Kevin De Bruyne, had told reporters Arteta was becoming too big to be a No2 for long.
De Bruyne said: “He came here three years ago and had to find his way a bit, because to transition from player to coach is a bit different.
“He is finding his role really, really good right now. He’s helping the team in the way he thinks he can help and is doing a good job.
“But if he gets a good opportunity to be a head coach, I think as a club you need to let somebody go.
“You want to grow as a head coach, I guess, and if you want to grow you need to take opportunities when they come along.”
But Arteta, 37, had sat glum faced watching the ludicrouslyoverpaid Mesut Ozil petulantly drop-kick his gloves down the touchline after being substituted after another lacklustre performance on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, comments from Ozil on social media may have ended any hopes of unloading his poisonous presence to China, the one country that can afford him, before his contract runs out in 2021.
Furthermore, Arteta had seen the Arsenal midfield overrun and the back four ripped to shreds in a disjointed, dispirited performance from players who are simply not good enough. The team crashed to their worst home run in a quarter of a