Arsenal set for Arteta talks as appointment nears

Daniel Storey

Mikel Arteta will hold talks with Arsenal on Thursday about becoming the club’s new manager, according to report.

Sky Sports say that Arteta is the first manager to discuss taking over from Arsene Wenger. Arteta’s odds have shortened over the last week as Max Allegri and Luis Enrique have both become less likely.

The assumption is that Arsenal want a head coach rather than omnipotent manager in the Wenger mould, and Arteta fits that bill.

There are clearly a number of reservations, most notably Arteta’s complete lack of first-team managerial experience, but Arsenal are aware of Arteta’s reputation at Manchester City and consider it a gamble worth taking. Can it really get worse than sixth, given the quality within the squad?

Arteta’s talks are likely to be with chief executive Ivan Gazidis, head of football relations Raul Sanllehi and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat. He will be told that he has £50m to spend, and the subject of his wages will surely come up.

But given that Arteta has history at the club, it’s hard to see things going awry. This is on.