Mikel Who?

In case you hadn’t heard, Arsenal are looking for a new manager. It would be wrong of myself to stay silent on this after years of backing Arsene Wenger to the hilt, even in the lowest depths of his tenure, but this season’s distinct lack of progress and the terminal sense of apathy around the club has been enough to sway even the staunchest of ‘Wenger In’ loyalists.

It is one thing to decide that the manager’s time was up, but a far trickier task to replace him with the right man. The current odds-on favourite is Mikel Arteta – which naturally poses more questions than answers, as it would be an appointment that brings the change and hope that Arsenal fans have been craving for years whilst sending an unclear message over what kind of club Arsenal will come to be post-Wenger.

Let’s be clear; every appointment carries its risks. With a big-name recruit among the likes of your Carlo Ancelottis or Max Allegris of the managerial world, the risk lies with their individual careers – their footballing prowess being the sole gauge for Gazidis and Kroenke etc. to look upon when selecting Wenger’s successor.

But historical success does not guarantee future success, and with that in mind, this is why I believe that the team are prepared to recommend appointing ex-midfielder Arteta to the board.

This would be staying true to the criteria set out by Gazidis in his press conference last month after Wenger’s announcement. Respecting and maintaining the values and identity that Wenger instilled in his two decades at the club will almost certainly be carried out by one of his former captains.

And there’s no question that this would be an extremely brave move for a club as big as Arsenal to plump for anyone with zero experience in the top job.

Which is why hiring Arteta makes complete sense and is, at the same time, completely bonkers.

It is almost inconceivable that after all Wenger has done to put Arsenal where it is on the global stage, that the baton will be picked up by… Mikel Arteta. Just writing that feels so strange, I cannot explain it. Mikel Arteta. Good grief.

Put it this way: if you put all the managers in the world on a spectrum, with Arsene Wenger near the top end and, say, Sol Campbell at the other end. Mikel Arteta is closer to Sol Campbell by some distance. Hell, he’s sandwiched somewhere between Sol Campbell and bloody Ryan Giggs. And that’s our guy? Well, it’s Gazidis’ funeral.

When Alex Ferguson retired from Manchester United, Arsenal made it clear that they would take a leaf out of United’s book, although they probably didn’t envisage them a) hiring someone as underwhelming as David Moyes and b) sacking him when his team finished seventh in his first year. Heartless bastards.

Since Arsenal look set to go for the slightly underwhelming approach (again, Kroenke’s funeral), they cannot afford to give Arteta a similar timeframe to deliver results. And while giving the new man time is a good thing, it does suggest that Arsenal are seemingly content with a mediocre year or two just to get things right.

Arteta won’t hit the ground running. Things will take time to take shape after such a departure, regardless of who comes in. But to let a man as inexperienced as Arteta take over the reins is not only a massive risk to the future fortunes of the club, it is a huge risk to test the ire of the fickle Arsenal supporter.

And when things don’t go so well, people will speak up. Society has made it fashionable to oppose anything and everything. That is when this Arsenal board must remain strong, and stick to their Guns. Very much in the same way that they are going for an appointment that may well leave fans and pundits scratching their heads.

That said, if it is true that the board are only supplying the new man with £50m to create a sustainable title push, it is no wonder that the likes of Allegri or Luis Enrique look set to stay put.

But then again, who gives a damn what Danny Mills thinks, or anyone on Arsenal ‘Fan’ TV, for that matter?

If Arsenal are brave enough and shrewd enough, this might just work. If you thought Arteta spent his last year at Arsenal injured doing nothing, you’re wrong. If you think spending two years with Pep Guardiola means nothing, you’re wrong. If you think hiring Arteta is a disaster waiting to happen… we’ll just have to wait and see.

I’ll be honest, it’s growing on me. It seemed common sense to hire a proven winner and get Arsenal back to the upper echelons of English and European football as soon as possible. Although, as Antonio Conte has shown at Chelsea, it isn’t easy - even with the trophies.

So I’m all for it. It’ll be just like the Wenger days, with more great football and the same volatile fanbase, but with exceptional hair.

Come On You Reds!