Arsenal Will Regret Overlooking Arterta Again – Alan Smith

Arsenal should not pass up on another opportunity to appoint Mikel Arteta as their manager, according to Alan Smith.

According to Alan, the London club will regret it if the ambitious young coach gets overlooked by them once more.

Arteta, an ex-Arsenal caption who is presently assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, was supposed to take over from Arsene Wenger when he stepped down after 22 years, but the club decided to go for Unai Emery who has now been sacked.

Speaking on Arsenal’s weak displays on the pitch recently, Smith believes Afc should go for the innovative Mikel Arteta.

His words, “A bright, ambitious, innovative and, yes, young coach would, for me, be the order of the day. ­Someone capable of drilling this side to within an inch of its life. Someone with the tools to improve individuals and build a unit that eventually totals more than the sum of its parts.

“All sorts of names have been thrown into the mix. Max Allegri, Patrick Vieira, Brendan Rodgers, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and even Mauricio Pochettino. Of those, Rodgers and Pochettino stand out for me.

“But if the Arsenal ­hierarchy really want to be bold, if they want to make a statement with a daring appointment, I’d advocate Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola’s richly-talented assistant at Manchester City.

“I know there’s a world of difference between coaching and ­managing. It’s much easier to work in the shadows when the buck stops ­elsewhere. But from what I’ve heard, Arteta has everything in his armoury to become a top manager.

“If it doesn’t happen at the Emirates, it’ll happen somewhere else and that would sting badly if Arsenal make another mistake.

“Arsenal’s former chief executive Ivan Gazidis, we hear, was very close to choosing Arteta as Arsene Wenger’s replacement before losing his nerve and plumping for Emery. In fairness, you can understand that. Arteta ­represented a gamble that Gazidis wasn’t willing to take.

“But now it’s time. A Change Is Gonna Come, the great Sam Cooke once sang. Yes, a change is inevitable. But will it be the right one?”