Mikel Arteta took the Arsenal job after failing to get assurances from his previous side Manchester City that he would be Pep Guardiola’s successor.
Arteta, as Guardiola’s No.2, believed that he would be the natural choice to take over from the former Barca coach when he eventually leaves the Etihad after spending the last three years on the club’s backroom staff.
He was disappointed to be told by the club that no such promises would be made. The belief at City is that Mikel Arteta is one of the game’s brightest young coaches.
But the Premier League champions made it clear that appointing a managerial novice to take over from Pep Guardiola is unlikely to be an option if the Catalan leaves.
When Arsenal came calling after the sack of Unai Emery, Arteta felt the chance to take over at his former club was too good to turn down.
City’s decision not to appoint a new No.2 for Guardiola after Arteta’s exit has not come as a surprise to some insiders at the Etihad.
As reported in November, the two-year contract Pep Guardiola signed in May 2018 does include a break clause which would allow him to leave this summer.
And that escape route in his contract means recruiting an outsider to join the first-team coaching staff was always not going to be a likely option.
However, City are angry at the way Arsenal recruited Arteta without first approaching them for permission to speak to the Spaniard.
The London side took a similar approach in the summer of 2018 when Mikel Arteta was in the frame to take over from Arsene Wenger.
