Former Arsenal official Raul Sanllehi has criticised the club’s decision to promote Mikel Arteta from head coach to manager, with the Barcelona-born administrator labelling the choice as a ‘mistake’.
Speaking to the Athletic, the former Gunners’ head of football was critical of Arsenal’s step to give the 40-year-old coach the title of manager after the north London side’s FA Cup triumph in 2020, just shortly after Sanllehi was sacked by the club.
The former FC Barcelona director of football has been regarded by many Arsenal fans as one of the many reasons why the club have failed to make much progress in the last few years, with Sanllehi over-seeing the signings of Nicolas Pepe, Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira.
Sanllehi was sacked in August of 2020 with Edu Gaspar taking over the role as Arsenal’s main transfers guy, and the decision has seemingly worked wonders, with the Brazilian working in tandem with Arteta to not only improve the squad but to dramatically lower the overall age.
Arsenal’s matchday squad has been the youngest in the Premier League since the start of last season, and signings such as Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Aaron Ramsdale have breathed new life into the north London side, with many fans now excited for what the future has to hold for the Gunners, who currently sit top of the table.
Indeed, Sanllehi’s tenure at Arsenal has been noted as a real low point for supporters, yet according to the now-Zaragoza official, the decision to promote Arteta’s role from head coach to manager is a mistake on the club’s part and one that he would not have made had he remained with the Premier League giants.
Sanllehi said about the decision: “They have betrayed the model a little bit now. By going back to the manager at the top, that is a mistake, but that is their mistake. I would have not allowed that to happen. But that’s fine, it is working so far for them.”
Arsenal made right decision to sack Raul Sanllehi after latest comments
A strong case can be made that Sanllehi’s tenure at Arsenal was the lowest point the Gunners have experienced in the Premier League era, with the decision to sack the Catalan one that has taken the north London side down the path they currently find themselves on, with the future quite an exciting one.
With Arsenal top of the Premier League with an exciting crop of young players leading the way in Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba, there’s no telling how far Arteta can go with the team, and the decision to promote the 40-year-old to manager has proven to be a masterstroke from the club behind the scenes.
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