Arsenal: Mikel Arteta is the right man to fill Raul Sanllehi’s vacuum

Mikel Arteta is the right man to fill the space vacated by Raul Sanllehi at Arsenal.

Vinai Venkatesham has put many Arsenal fans’ fears to rests with his inaugural interview upon filling the role of Chief Executive of the club. He has nominated Mikel Arteta as the right man to fill the space vacated by Raul Sanllehi, putting him on the same level as Edu Gaspar in the club’s hierarchy, and I could not agree more.

"I think, in Mikel Arteta, we have an absolutely fantastic, dynamic head coach. He forms a formidable team with Edu Gaspar, who is our technical director… We have, in Edu and Mikel, two individuals who are responsible for our technical plan. Of course, [that is] overseen by me and the board, but those two are the experts and they have a very, very clear plan about how they want to rebalance our squad in the short term, in the medium term and in the long term. We’re starting to work on that immediately in this transfer window."

Throughout the interview, the constant rhetoric from Venkatesham is the idea of “Edu and Mikel” working as a team to solve the club’s problems, a level of managerial involvement we haven’t seen since the Arsene Wenger days.

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Arteta’s ascension to higher status within the club looks to be a positive side effect of Sanllehi’s departure, a move which, as I and others have written, is also likely for the club’s benefit. Despite what appears to be a decentralization of power, Arteta’s rise will make Arsenal stronger.

Having Mikel Arteta heavily entrenched in the management of the club will do wonders for the stability of the backroom, given Arteta’s knowledge and love of the club, and his meteoric popularity. He’s well loved, well respected, and trusted by players, coaches, executives, and staff alike. Even the Kroenke’s have publicly placed their faith upon his shoulders.

Furthermore, Arteta has extensive experience in running a backroom from his days at Manchester City. While Pep Guardiola was (and still is) the tactical mastermind behind City’s brilliance, Arteta ran much of the day-to-day activity of the club, both on the training pitch and behind the scenes.

He worked extensively with the City scouting department for two years, determining suitability and using statistical and technical analysis to determine what players to sign, instead of relying on super agents to make deals. He’s got all of the necessary expertise to dig Arsenal out of their current predicament.

Simply put, Mikel Arteta is the right man for the job, and I’m looking forward to seeing our new manager take on greater responsibility.