Erik ten Hag tipped as Arsenal replacement for Arteta

Mikel Arteta finds himself in trapped in a cycle. One minute his ideas at Arsenal are visible on the pitch, either in short bursts or across longer stretches, and the next minute he’s making inexplicable decisions that prove counterproductive.

After a ten match unbeaten run across all competitions where it appeared as if a style had began imprinting itself on the team, three defeats in four Premier League matches have turned the situation on its head.

Defeat at Goodison Park seemed to turn the clocks back to last season with similarly bland and predictable patterns of play in place of the more intense and cutthroat performances dotted about across the aforementioned ten matches.

It has, of course, resulted in calls for a new manager to enter the fray.

Erik ten Hag tipped as Arsenal replacement for under fire Mikel Arteta after three defeats in four Premier League matches – but it doesn’t matter

With few candidates across the globe either available or suited to the job at hand in north London, some of the names considered more in the ‘elite’ category continue to be mentioned at the point of any managerial uncertainty.

One of those men is Erik ten Hag, who has attracted admiring glances from across Europe with his distinct brand of football at Ajax and adherence to the core principles of the club. He has a track record of developing players under his leadership.

Helping his cause is another superb season from his team. In the Eredivisie Ajax have fallen to defeat just once across their 15 matches, conceding the rather stunning total of two goals during that period. Meanwhile, they’ve netted 48.

Factoring in the very relevant caveat of the quality of sides in the division outside of the top three, a glance at their Champions League group containing Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund and Besiktas reading six matches played and six wins further evidences his, and Ajax’s, quality.

Tipped for a move elsewhere in a more competitive league, former Ajax manager turned analyst Aad de Mos tickled a few tastebuds by tipping Arsenal as one of the potential destinations for his fellow Dutchman.

"“It has to be purely attacking anyway, so the DNA of Ajax has to be in it,” he told Algemeen Dagblad, relayed by Voetbal Primeur. “I think Borussia Dortmund is the ideal option for him. If Nagelsmann leaves, then it’s Bayern Munich. At FC Barcelona, Xavi is only just starting, Arsenal, if Arteta doesn’t do well. Then we’ll be sold out soon.”"

That’s just one man’s opinion. That’s all it should be perceived as. And besides, other teams feature more strongly on that list.

Working on the basis that Arsenal could ever be an enticing option for Ten Hag as Arteta continues to lose supporters in north London over the results and performances his side produce, the truth is that it doesn’t matter one bit.

It really doesn’t.

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