Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola isn’t the only manager who has influenced Mikel Arteta.
Sky Sports claimed that Arsenal and Manchester City are in talks regarding the future of Pep Guardiola’s assistant after Gunners’ chief Vinai Venkatesham was pictured outside Arteta’s house on Sunday night. If the reports are to believed, Arteta is likely to become the next Arsenal manager which will see him return to the club after retiring as a player back in the summer of 2016.
Arteta was one of the most respected players in the Premier League during his time in England. The Spaniard was always tipped to go into management thanks to brilliant football IQ and he was asked by Arsenal in 2014 about the managers who influence him.
He responded saying: “One is Arsène Wenger, of course – he has a philosophy that he’s never going to change because he really believes in it. That is the most important thing, because if you don’t really believe in something then you’ll just change it after one bad result and drive your players crazy.”
He continued: “Another is Pep Guardiola, who I’ve known since I was 15. The way he sees football is always to look ahead, then further ahead, always improving. Then there’s Mauricio Pochettino – he was my captain at PSG and I always knew he would become a manager. I’ve admired Pochettino ever since I was young; he really looked after me when I was at PSG as well.”
If Arteta manages to take in the positive qualities of Wenger, Guardiola and Pochettino, he will become one of the best managers in the game. However, it is easier said than done and considering Arsenal current state, he will need a lot more than just those managers’ influence to turn things around and succeed on the long run if he were to be appointed in the coming days.
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