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Football

13th May 2018

Pep Guardiola endorses Mikel Arteta to succeed Arsène Wenger at Arsenal

Arteta has worked as Guardiola's assistant for two years at Man Ciy

Reuben Pinder

He’s now the frontrunner for the Arsenal job

Since injuries forced Mikel Arteta into an early retirement, he has been dived straight into the world of coaching, and he’s been learning from the best. For the past two seasons, he has worked under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, who smashed several records as they won the Premier League this season. This summer could be the time for Arteta to make the step up into a managerial position, as he has emerged as the favourite for the vacant Arsenal job, with Arsène Wenger on his way out after 22 years.

It was thought that Max Allegri was ready to leave Juventus and take the Arsenal job, but it would appear that he has had a change of heart, making Mikel Arteta the frontrunner.

Pep Guardiola has endorsed his colleague, saying that “he wants the best for his friend.” Reading between the lines, it’s clear that Guardiola believes Arteta would be capable of succeeding in the job.

If Arteta were hired by Arsenal, it would likely go down well at Arsenal, given his popularity at the club during his playing days. However, some fans were disappointed by Arteta’s decision to move to City to work as a coach. If he were to return to the Emirates and steady the ship in what will surely be a difficult transition period, he would surely regain a lot of that popularity.