Arsenal and Mikel Arteta: Micky Quinn the pinnacle of buffoonery

Micky Quinn of Talksport has claimed that Arsenal only want Mikel Arteta as manager because he is a ‘yes man’. This indeed the pinnacle of buffoonery.

Arsenal are in the midst of their search for a new manager. They are yet to fully determine who that individual will be, primarily out of respect for the departing Arsene Wenger as they did not want to start their hunt in earnest while he was still at the club, but it is looking increasingly likely that it will be former captain and current Manchester City coach Mikel Arteta.

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A 36-year-old who only retired from playing two years ago and has no senior experience of management. It is certainly a risky appointment, one that has invited the criticism and even vitriol from large portions of the fan base and many pundits and analysts.

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One of those to be extremely damning of the decision is TalkSport pundit Micky Quinn.  The former Chelsea player has heavily questioned the motives behind the decision, positing that the board are looking for a ‘yes man’, rather than someone who they would have to back heavily in the transfer window. Here is what he had to say:

"“Maybe if he’s had a managerial role at another club, but he’s gone from first-team coach at Manchester City to manage a big club like Arsenal. A lot of pressure; I think they want a ‘yes’ man at Arsenal. A yes man that they’ll say ‘there’s £10million, go and buy 15 players’. They’re not going to spend money with Arteta. <…> A massive name, they would probably give them money to spend. They’re not going to give Arteta money to spend.”"

Quinn’s comments are buffoonery. But I should give him some credit for at least an element of what he has to say. He is right when he says that the club is wanting an individual that they do not have to back heavily in the transfer window, not that I believe that that would change if they did a higher calibre and profile individual.

The Gunners are not awash with spare cash to splash in the transfer window, even if their financial records may suggest that they are. They will simply not commit the same type of budgets to new recruits as the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and the Manchester clubs. And so they have come to look for a coach, rather than a manager, to develop the talent that is already there, rather than merely seek out talent from elsewhere that demands a high-cost strategy.

But by no means does that mean that Arteta, or any other coach-like figure, for that matter, is a ‘yes man’. I am sure that Arteta, if he so feels inclined, will be quite happy to challenge the decisions of the board, the thinking of Ivan Gazidis and Sven Mislintat, to work in tandem with those around him, not to simply agree to whatever they ask of him. He would not take the job if he wasn’t.

Next: Arsenal: 5 reasons to be optimistic about Mikel Arteta appointment

Arteta may not be the traditional, expected appointment. He may be a coach first and manager second. But that does not make a ‘yes man’. It is utterly stupid to suggest that it does.