News is emerging that following lengthy contract talks, Mikel Arteta has departed his role as Assistant Manager at Manchester City to become head coach at Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola is clearly doing something right as a manager because the staff he selects and trains are regularly hunted for leading roles by other clubs. So, in many ways what has happened with Arteta should be considered as an endorsement of the excellent work going on at Manchester City.
Journalists are today reporting that Arteta has agreed a contract to take over as head coach at Arsenal following the departure of Unai Emery. Since joining Manchester City, Arteta has impressed at the club with his passion and attention to detail.
Initially he joined the coaching staff and was credited with improvements in finishing by many of the squad. Any fan watching training can see some of the drills being used where players are always put under pressure when readying for a shot, and it is these kind of repetitive techniques which have seen better composure by the likes of Raheem Sterling.
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When previous Assistant Manager to Pep Guardiola, Domenec Torrent, left to take charge at New York City at the end of the 2017/18 campaign, Arteta was promoted to Assistant Manager. It is his performance in this new role which has seen him take sole charge of the team on a number of occasions and brought his contribution even more clearly into focus.
It goes without saying that he will be missed at City and there will be some difficulty in replacing him, but he will move with the blessing of City.
There are however some practical difficulties to resolve. He will have a lot of insider knowledge about City, including not just training methods and tactical deployments, but also recruitment and even wage structures. Usually in business when such a key employee moves there are contractual clauses in place to limit the impact of this knowledge being of use to any competitor – such as extended periods of gardening leave and rules preventing other staff following within set periods.
There is a risk that City may be weakened by the departure of Arteta, not just on the pitch but through the loss of knowledge to a competitor too. With this happening part way through a season is not an ideal scenario and the impact may be difficult to mitigate.
However, every high performing side needs constant refresh. It is in the addition of new and hungry personnel that the group develops and sustains challenges. So the loss of Arteta represents an opportunity to shake up the group and maybe lose the lethargy which has infected many of our displays this season.
Thoughts will inevitably turn to who may replace Arteta as the right hand man of Guardiola. This represents an opportunity for the club to not just cement the past, but to put steps in place to manage that period when Guardiola himself departs.
Will we see another coach promoted from within the group? Will we see someone from within the CFG such as Giovanni Van Bronckhurst? Or will the fans get to see an ex City star such as Vincent Kompany back?
Arteta will be on the bench for City tonight but is expected to be presented as the new Arsenal manager tomorrow.
Meanwhile we wait patiently for the official confirmation of the departure of Mikel. Adios Arteta!