Arsenal: Top 5 Unai Emery replacements

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: Pep Guardiola of Manchester City talks to Mikel Arteta, Assistant Manager of Manchester City during a training session at Manchester City Football Academy on September 30, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

1. Mikel Arteta

Perhaps the most volatile candidate is Mikel Arteta. How can you hire a coach who has never been a manager of any team, nevermind a first-team, senior coach at the highest level? Just thinking about it seems ridiculous. How could Arsenal hire the utterly novice Arteta when there is a five-time Serie A winner sitting out there waiting for a job?

Well, it is based on what people think of him. Here are just some quotes from players and coaches that have worked with Arteta in recent years:

Fabian Delph: ‘Mikel Arteta has been so pivotal for me. One of the reasons I have stayed at the club is because he saw the qualities in me and he knew I was available to do the role they wanted me to do.’
Leroy Sane: ‘He’s a lovely guy and a great coach. And he’s always right. He’ll watch me at training and then afterwards he’ll tell me what he thinks.’
Pep Guardiola: ‘He is already an incredible manager and he’ll have incredible success in his future. I’m pretty sure [he could succeed me]. Sooner or later it’s going to happen.’
Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez have all credited Arteta with having a major influence on their improvements at City, his work on body positioning, tactical intelligence and attacking wing play critical to City’s success.

Arteta is the least experienced man on the list. And yet, he might also be the best. But would Arsenal be willing to take the risk?