Why Ivan Gazidis’ idea of replacing Arsene Wenger with this Spaniard might back fire

Why Mikel Arteta Is Not The Right Man To Succeed Wenger At Arsenal

Last week, Wenger announced that he has decided to step down as Arsenal boss at the end of the season, concluding a 22-year-old bond with the North Londoners. While Wenger is still at the helm, the Arsenal hierarchy have already started searching for an ideal man to replace the veteran Frenchman.

According to Sky Sports, Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis feels Mikel Arteta could be the right man to replace Arsene Wenger.

In some ways, Arteta being linked with the Arsenal managerial job comes as no surprise. In fact, it just speaks volumes about the man who officially led the Gunners for two seasons before retiring in 2016. Despite being famous amongst the Arsenal fans, is Arteta the right man for the club?

Arteta’s selection to replace Wenger from next season would surely be a gamble. After all, he hung up his boots just two years ago after an injury-ravaged last few seasons at Arsenal. Following his retirement, he took up the role as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City.

Months before Guardiola arrived at City, he had identified Arteta as the perfect man to assist him and make him understand what English football is all about. Arteta is a smart guy and being named as the first-team coach at Manchester City by Guardiola clearly tells us about his capability.

Over the last two seasons, Arteta’s role has grown significantly, with Guardiola singling him out for praise on a number of occasions in this title-winning season. However, the matter of fact is that Arteta is still inexperienced with no first-hand managerial experience.

The Spaniard is very young and untested in management but having spent a couple of years under Guardiola, Arteta would have learnt a few tricks of the trade, gaining some invaluable experience. Moreover, Arteta has always seemed like a clever man.

However, Arsenal have a major decision to make in the summer. Their decision to hire a new boss will need to be backed up by a lot of research and thinking, as Arsenal will usher into a new beginning in the post-Wenger era.

Gazidis and the rest of the board must be careful while making a decision. They just cannot afford to make a call based on just sentiments.

Having played for Arsenal, he knows what the club is all about. He has an affiliation with the Gunners but first needs to manage at a lower level before taking up a top job. For example, someone like Mauricio Pochettino, who managed Espanyol and Southampton before landing at Tottenham.

Arsenal may be tempted to name a young, dynamic manager with fresh ideas who has the capability of steering the club back to the top but first and foremost, they must consider that it is a pivotal moment in the club’s history and they just cannot afford to name someone who is a newbie to management.

Arsenal must avoid Arteta and hand over the job to someone with plenty of experience, capable of filling the big boots of Wenger.