Manchester City target Arteta as Guardiola replacement

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By Martin Graham | 10th Feb 2023

A reunion is on the cards as Manchester City are reportedly looking towards Mikel Arteta if Pep Guardiola exits the club.

City are in a precarious spot in the Premier League after recent discoveries by the league’s authorities led to allegations of financial impropriety going as far back as 2008, when the club was taken over by the Sheikh Mansour-led City Football Group.

This is not the first time the club has been accused of breaking financial rules but this time, the accusations seem airtight. Possible sanctions such as dismissal from the Premier League and relegation to the fourth tier of English football, the stripping of the titles won in that time, and a massive points deduction from the ongoing season have been touted as punishments for the Manchester-based club.

This has led to resurfaced comments made by Pep Guardiola from 2022 when the last allegations were laid before the club.

The Spaniard vowed to leave and cut all ties with the club should the allegations be proven and now, the club and all associated with it are waiting with baited breath to see what happens.

City, however, are going one step ahead by preparing for the worst.

Having worked under Guardiola as his assistant for three seasons prior to his becoming Arsenal’s manager in 2019, Mikel Arteta knows how the club operates and understands the Guardiola brand of football better than anybody at the moment.

Reports indicate that Manchester City are already plotting to bring in the 40-year-old as Guardiola’s replacement should he keep to his words to exit the club in the midst of all the issues they are facing.

Guardiola recently signed a new deal keeping him at the club until 2025. However, he has also expressed a desire to either return to Barcelona or manage a national team in the near future. The current turmoil at City could give him the excuse to move on from the club which he has managed since 2016.

Arteta, on the other hand, also signed a contract extension with Arsenal until 2025 and is currently enjoying a good run of form with the club. It is very much unlikely that the Spaniard would seek to leave the Gunners, especially now that his rebuild is starting to bear much fruits after struggles in recent years. For the first time in over five seasons, Champions League football will return to the Emirates and that should see the Gunners back Arteta even more in the transfer market.