The Arteta rumours appear to be hotting up. More and more media sources are reporting it and I think more and more of us are accepting that it’s likely to happen. By and large I think most of us will accept it, get behind Micky and pray he gets off to a good start, but with other managers dropping and former players like Vieira briefing to the media that they’re unhappy with the ‘token’ gesture of Arsenal, it does look like it’s all becoming a bit of a mess which let’s face it, pretty much sums Arsenal up right now and in recent years. You only have to look at the way we have botched multiple transfer windows in the last few years to feel like it should be a surprise to all of us that this is going to become a farce.

One of the Arsenal supporting lads made a very good comparison to the Arteta situation in the office yesterday. He referenced the stories linking Giggs with the Man United job as a similar situation. Former player, no experience, loved by the fans, so might cut him some slack. But United are a massive club and ultimately that’s what made them realise that the risk of hiring a complete unknown was simply too great after Moyes. So they opted for experience. I know that didn’t work out with Van Gaal but he still won them the FA Cup and they got back into the Champions League under him.

Arteta May well have a better footballing management brain than Giggs. He may well have had a fantastic grounding in the Pep Guardiola Man City years, but whether you’re behind this appointment or not, it’s difficult to argue that it’s not a massive risk being taken by the club to appoint an unknown.

The financial element of it may have an impact but what you lose in risk through having to pay an unproven manager (and also potentially offering him a shorter deal; maybe two years to prove himself with an option for a third), you make up through risk that the experiment crashes and burns, we have another season or two without Champions League Football and without a sugar daddy to bankroll a squad overhaul, before we know it the other teams are drifting into the distance on their gilded boats made from UEFA’s coffers.

The good news for Arteta is that he could have just one area to focus on, particularly if the rumours of Seri coming in at the heart of our midfield. He’s a player we’ve previously coveted and would be a very good additional to the squad I’d wager. That’d also give us a boost as fans if we’re getting a new arrival on the playing side soon. But at this stage there are rumours flying about everywhere so it’s probably best to just leave any lingering hope for players.

If Arteta does come in, at least he has a very clear focus point on what he needs to do next season.

  1. Sort out the car crash of a defensive line and build some sort of rigidity at the back
  2. Find some backroom staff

Because let’s face it, when he arrives on day one and is greeted by one of the cleaning staff sweeping up in an empty London Colney, he’ll realise just what sort of culling has happened at the club since he last walked through the doors. He’ll have to ask that cleaner where Ivan’s office is too, because that wasn’t a ‘thing’ last time he was at the club.

It’ll be a different Arsenal to the one he’ll have remembered but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We were doing the same thing over and over under Wenger every season and that wasn’t working in the league or Europe, so what’s the harm in ripping it all up and starting again? We have some fantastic players already at the club, some dross of course, but the blueprint is there to make a success of it.

I just hope the club are doing a better job of this process on the inside compared to what it looks like on the outside.

Right, that’s me done, so I’ll see thee soon.

Peace out.