Gunners’ desire for a head coach means Arteta could be final piece in the jigsaw
ALTHOUGH Arsenal are still waiting on any decision made by Max Allegri, and sources close to the club say they are still “testing the waters” on any potential alternative, circumstances now feel like they are falling a certain way in the search for Arsene Wenger’s successor.
It is not a way that everyone would immediately be able to understand but here it is: Arsenal have got to the point where amanwhohasnevermanageda competitive match is becoming the obvious choice. It is ‘obvious’, however, because there is a lot of internal logic to the line that could well lead to former player and current Man City coach Mikel Arteta’s appointment.
A huge part of that is because Arsenal do not want a traditional manager in the way most would view it. This is why such concerted moves have been made over the last year to change the football structure of the club, why they made so many backroom appointments, to decentralise power. They saw what happened at Manchester United after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, and wanted to avoid that.
So, while the intention was not specifically to go to the complete opposite of what Wenger was, that is inadvertently the consequence. Arsenal primarily want a head coach as figurehead in the managerial structure, rather than an outright manager.
They also want that to be a modern head coach willing to work in such a structure, and that reduces them to a certain profile of figure. Julian Nagelsmann had been seen as an ideal candidate, particularly by head of recruitment Sven Mislintat, but he has made it clear that he will not be leaving Hoffenheim.
There is then the effect of two successive seasons without Champions League football, with that effectively costing them £60m. Arsenal are not going for the ‘cheap option’ that many have criticised, but they aren’t as flush as they might be, and it has had an effect on potential deals with Luis Enrique and — to a lesser extent — Allegri.
Allegri probably still ticks the most boxes, and it could yet happen that he decides to test himself at Arsenal. Those close to the situation feel that, when it comes right down to it, the lure of trying to win the Champions League with Juventus will be decisive for him. There may be a definitive answer this week.
Allegri would probably excite supporters most, and the Arsenal hierarchy are highly conscious of the genuine need for excitement after so much discord. Majority shareholder Stan Kroenke is, meanwhile, said to have been struck by empty seats in the last days of Wenger’s reign, and the need to have them filled.
That is why Arteta’s Arsenal history is seen as so important, and why he is now looking such a viable option. He is a modern head coach who has that connection, whose popularity should allow fans to rally around him.
Arsenal have done their homework on how Arteta works. He was often called “coach” when a midfielder at the club because of how he conducted himself in training and spoke, and those at City say the players like him. While Arteta hasn’t been overly involved in sessions, he is brilliant at dealing with the squad, is said to have an excellent tactical overview of the game and is an assertive character.
As to whether that can translate into the different and difficult issue of winning games, that is another issue. Many at Arsenal feel the initial ingredients are all there, but they have still not come to the final decision either.
There aren’t too many out there that fit so many requirements. And, while Allegri would be an ideal, it would suit Arsenal’s ideals as a club to unearth a new gem of a manager.
Arteta could well be a hugely astute move.
Or, it could instead be too huge a swing from what Wenger was. Having had one man as an all-powerful figure for 22 years, it is now as if Arsenal are doing the opposite and looking to fit many different pieces together.
That situation is arranging itself, however, so that — unless Allegri makes an unexpected decision, and unless there is another late candidate — the remaining space might best fit Arteta as that last piece.