You cannot escape the fact that Mikel Arteta being made Arsenal manager would be a gamble.
Arteta is 36, has never managed a game and has only been a coach in the Premier League for two years.
But you could look at it like this… when Arteta left Arsenal in 2016, Pep Guardiola wanted him as a key part of his backroom staff and took him to Manchester City, Mauricio Pochettino wanted him at Tottenham and Arsenal made a last minute move to keep him.
Two of the world’s best coaches rated him so highly they wanted him and Arsenal realised (albeit a bit too late as Arsene Wenger was never keen on keeping opinionated former players) that they were losing something special.
Since being at City, Arteta has learned from the best in Guardiola, taken sessions, worked closely and improved young players like Raheem Sterling and been part of the best team in the Premier League for a decade.
Arteta was always focused and driven when he was a player at Arsenal, he left a big impression and, during a difficult and turbulent time at the club when finances were incredibly tight, played a major part in guiding the team. It was good that he upset some of his team mates with his views.
This is a guy who, according to those who know, is cut out for a superb managerial career, he is destined to reach the top and Guardiola and Pochettino have been quick to recognise it.
Arsenal, from day one, were keen to do a “young head coach” appointment who would fit into a structure, embrace the coaches around him, coach young players in the squad and work with players and the philosophy given to him.
Ultimately, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, with advice from Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat, will make a recommendation to majority shareholder Stan Kroenke and his son Josh, whose influence is growing and is surely destined to be chairman one day.
The Kroenkes have seen a young coach work at their NFL team as Sean McVay, now 32, has been superb for the LA Rams. That, together with needing a change after 68-year-old Arsene Wenger, has clearly the young coach idea.
They were interested in Luis Enrique and Max Allegri but Enrique and Allegri were interested in Arsenal as well, particularly as being linked with Arsenal could help them.
Allegri was very happy for his name to be pushed during negotiations with Juventus and I do not believe for a second that he was ever Arsenal’s No1. Simply because they never truly believed he was up for it. Sure enough, Allegri has said he is staying. If that changes…
Arsenal have also looked at Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim but the German club have now said he will stay and the 30-year-old may not be around for long as he is desperate for Bayern Munich whenever that next crops up.
Patrick Vieira would be an interesting choice, as unlike Arteta, he is universally popular with the fans and is young and has more front line experience.
But, interestingly, Arteta is being perceived as further down the line. What that says about the MLS and being part of Manchester City’s set-up at New York City is anyone’s guess.
Do you learn more as a manager in the MLS or as a coach in the Premier League? All about perception.
But that brings us back round to the original point of being a popular choice. And, that is something that Arsenal have to think about.
Maybe an issue with Brendan Rodgers is, as good as he has been at Celtic and Arsenal like him, would the fans go for it? I think he’d be great by the way.
It is the same with Arteta. It’s mixed.
And yet Arsenal have always gone left field. Wenger was a relative unknown, George Graham, despite being a former player, came from Millwall. Bertie Mee was the physio.
Arsenal need to be creative as they will not have the sort of huge sums of transfer cash that a bigger name may want.
That is why Arteta fits the bill. Ideally, as much as Arsenal fans would hate to admit it, they would want someone like the current Spurs boss. But you are never going to get Pochettino, so why not go for the next Pochettino?
After all, Arteta has already had Pochettino’s endorsement.