Mikel Arteta is confident that he can win the support of Arsenal’s players if he is appointed as manager of the club. The former Everton star and Gunners captain is favorite to become the new manager of the fallen giants after Arsene Wenger announced that he would be stepping down after 22-years in charge.
The 36-year-old Arteta retired from football two years ago and has since served as assistant manager to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Guardiola has since said that he will not stand in the way of his fellow Spaniard should he receive an offer from Arsenal. According to a report published by The Sun, Arteta was not popular in the Gunners dressing room towards the end of his five-year stay with the club.
Some of his former team-mates are stunned that he is even being considered for the job. This is expected considering that Arteta has a lack of managerial experience and is also very young in comparison to most of the other Premier League managers.
If Arteta takes over, he will be tasked to build good relationships with the club’s biggest players to ensure that they remain at the Emirates. Over the past decade, the Gunners have developed a habit of having star players become unsettled and leaving due to the lack of trophies.
Mesut Ozil who signed a new £350 000 deal with the club last season will need to be made aware of how he fits into the club’s plans while Laurent Koscielny is expected to take over as captain following the retirement of Per Mertesacker.
The Gunners will also need to decide whether they would like to offer Jack Wilshere a new contract. The 26-year-old was left out of the England World Cup squad and is currently assessing his options as he looks to re-build his career.
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