Man City’s Guardiola replacement plan takes a surprise turn Arsenal fans didn’t expect

Pep Guardiola is a man who's haunted Arsenal for too many years. In some ways, Arsenal fans will feel like he's responsible for preventing Arsenal from winning the Premier League trophy despite coming close over the last few years.

However, Arsenal fans maintain a love-hate relationship with Pep. Yes, on the one hand, Man City dominating English football has been to Arsenal's detriment, but let's not forget that Arsenal is a beneficiary of Pep's genius.

Mikel Arteta, who has been key to Arsenal's recent resurgence, learned everything he knows about coaching under Pep Guardiola. Arsenal also signed a few players from underneath Pep's nose.

Nevertheless, eras must come to an end. Pep Guardiola was always going to leave Man City at one point; it was a matter of when, not if.

So, who replaces Pep Guardiola in that likelihood?

Arsenal fans will love who Man City wants to replace Pep Guardiola

According to a recent 'bomba' from David Ornstein, who only speaks gospel, Man City has located Enzo Maresca as the potential successor for Pep Guardiola. Enzo Maresca has achieved success with both Leicester City and Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca is another coach who learned from Pep Guardiola, so it's not surprising that Man City sees him as the next in line for the throne.

The most obvious choice would have been Mikel Arteta. However, Man City would require the impossible task of convincing Arteta to give up on his long-term plan at Arsenal.

Now, Arsenal fans can breathe a sigh of relief. This news from David Ornstein could not have been better, for two reasons.

The first, and most obvious, is that Arsenal keeps Mikel Arteta. He's one of the best coaches in the world, and if the Gunners are to win trophies under any manager, it'll (eventually) be Mikel.

The second is that Man City hiring Enzo Maresca weakens two of Arsenal's title rivals. There's no denying that Pep Guardiola is a better coach than Enzo Maresca will ever be, so Man City is weakened. On the flip side, Chelsea would not find a coach better than Enzo, who has improved them greatly.

Chelsea is not the super-club it once was; however, Enzo Maresca cannot work miracles. He's got Chelsea back to being contenders, and that is the last thing anyone in the world (except Chelsea fans) wants.

So, Chelsea also gets weakened by this switch.

It really is a win-win for Arsenal.