ARTETA TOPS MOST WANTED LIST

van Bronckhorst. The former Gunner, and pal of Guardiola from their Barcelona days, has been working for the City Group since the summer, and is spending increasingly more time at the Etihad.

City rank Van Bronckhorst highly, and he won five trophies in his own right during a four-year spell at Feyenoord. The 44-year-old Dutchman was also close to taking the job with New York City, the Blues’ sister club in the MLS.

Former Arsenal midfielder Arteta is keen on the Emirates move, and Guardiola is open to his No.2 furthering his frontline management career.

Arteta, who made 110 league appearances as a midfield general for Arsenal, came close to succeeding Arsene Wenger in 2018.

However, former Gunners’ chief executive Ivan Gazidis intervened and the casting vote went in Emery’s favour.

Gazidis has since moved on to Inter Milan, but there is a strong Spanish influence at Arsenal in the shape of head of football Raul Sanllehi. He wants to retain that Spanish flavour and will know all about Arteta as the former Everton man started out his career in Catalonia with Barcelona.

One man who won’t be linking up with the north Londoners is Ajax’s manager Erik ten Hag. His impressive run to the Champion

League semi-finals, with a youthful side, has had suitors at Europe’s biggest knocking at the door of the Amsterdam club.

But Arsenal look to have been gazumped in their pursuit of Ten Hag by Bayern Munich who have lined him up as their new man.

Ten Hag speaks fluent German – demanded by the Bavarian club. He has also worked for two years with the club’s reserve team – Arsenal can’t come close to landing Ten Hag for that reason.

Another man who can also be struck off the shortlist is Holland coach Ronald Koeman.

The ex-Barcelona centre-half has an escape route planned to his former club if they do not hand Ernesto Valverde a new deal.