It’s been a pretty dismal first full season for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta.
After 10 Premier League games, the Gunners are 14th in the Premier League.
Even more worrying, Arsenal have only scored 10 league goals in as many games and the man with the greatest ability to fire them out of this slump – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – just hasn’t been at the races since signing a new contract back in September.
Having won the FA Cup in August, Arteta’s mandate before the season started would’ve been simple: deliver Champions League qualification.
But the North Londoners are nowhere near being good enough to even challenge for a top-four spot right now and Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Wolves did the team – and Arteta – no favours at all.
The longer this domestic slump continues, the more pressure Arteta will find himself under irrespective of the fact he delivered a trophy in his first half-a-season in charge.
And a report in Italy claims that the Emirates Stadium side have identified a potential replacement.
According to Stadiosport, the club are interested in hiring former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, whose Blues side thumped Arsenal 4-1 in the final of the Europa League in 2019.
Sarri is without a club following a spell back in Italy with Juventus and, according to the report, ‘would gladly’ return to a dugout.
It’s difficult to know whether this one has any legs or not.
On one hand, Arsenal won’t be ready to end the Arteta experiment just yet, having won a trophy only a few months ago.
On the other, they might have been able to get Jose Mourinho had they axed Unai Emery quicker than Tottenham parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino last year, and it’s only a matter of time before an experienced and decorated figure like Sarri snaps up another big job.
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