Arsenal and Unai Emery: ‘Yes man’ label looms

Arsenal are set to hire Unai Emery as their new manager. As we pick apart how and why the decision came to pass, there is one concerning element that is creeping up to the backdoor: the ‘yes man’ label looms.

When it comes to Arsenal’s decision to veer away from Mikel Arteta and towards Unai Emery, there is only question that is swimming through my rather scrambled, unruly, and somewhat underwhelmed mind: Why?

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It had seemed a formality. The backroom staff were being approached. The preparations were being implemented. The new, Arteta-led era was in its, admittedly very young, beginnings. And then, suddenly — it came in the space of no more than 24 hours –, the Arteta-era had ended before it ever begun.

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Arsenal are expected to name Emery as their next manager this week. Like Arteta before him, this seems like a formality. It will be a formality. The nature of the reports are not so ‘allegedly’, ‘reportedly’, and ‘could’, but ‘is’, ‘will be’ and ‘are’. There is a degree of certainty with the Emery coverage that there never was with the Arteta coverage. Nevertheless, there has been a change of heart here, either by Arteta, forcing Arsenal to look elsewhere, or by Arsenal when they realised that Emery was available.

Whichever way you want to slice it, there has been a clear and obvious fraction between Arteta and his presumed future club. But why? And what was it? It was all seemingly going so swimmingly. And then, in one fell swoop, everything just stopped. Immediately. There was no gradual disenfranchisement with the prospect of the inexperienced unknown. There was no incremental distancing between the two parties. This was sudden, swift, an almost rash change of heart that is extremely concerning considering this should have been a careful and discerning process.

The most prevalent answer that is being provided at this current time is even more troubling than the speed of the U-turn. There is the belief that Ivan Gazidis, Sven Mislintat, Raul Sanllehi and ultimately the Kroenke’s wanted a ‘yes man’.

As the discussions with Arteta entered the future-planning stage, focusing on his actual role at the club, his input into other areas beyond the coaching of the players, like, for example, potential transfer targets, it is possible that Gazidis and co. realised that Arteta would not be as compliant as perhaps they first believed.

His lack of experience, his prior relationship with the club, his understanding of the organisation all contributed to their belief that they pidgeon-hole Arteta into a certain, structured role. But then, when it came to it, Arteta demanded a greater control and influence at the club than the club was willing to afford. So they turned to other, more corporate, company-first options. Namely, Emery.

Next: Arsenal: 3 things that Unai Emery will offer

I have absolutely no idea if such a school of thought has any credence or not. It does add up and provides a very understandable solution to the problem of ‘why’. It’s quite possible that we will never know. But I will be watching the actions that Arsenal take in the coming months and years extremely closely. The label of ‘yes man’ looms. Time should determine its truthfulness. But one thing’s for sure, it would be bitterly disappointing if it were to be accurate.