Marcel Brands wanted Mikel Arteta as Everton manager, but Farhad Moshiri opted for Carlo Ancelotti. Arteta’s impact at Arsenal highlights Everton’s missed opportunity.

• Marcel Brands wanted Mikel Arteta as Everton manager, but owner and former Arsenal shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, chose Carlo Ancelotti
• Arteta has since transformed Arsenal into Premier League title challengers
• Everton’s missed opportunity highlights the impact Arteta has had on Arsenal’s fortunes

Marcel Brands, former Everton director of football, recently revealed that he wanted Mikel Arteta as the club’s next manager but was overruled by owner Farhad Moshiri.

This missed opportunity for Everton has turned into a significant gain for Arsenal, as Arteta has transformed the Gunners into Premier League title challengers.

In December 2019, after sacking Marco Silva, Everton was in search of a new manager.

Brands, who is now back at PSV Eindhoven, expressed his preference for Arteta in an interview with NRC. However, Moshiri opted for the experienced Carlo Ancelotti, who later left to re-join Real Madrid after just one season.

Arteta, a former Blues hero with 239 appearances and 35 goals for the club, took over Arsenal at the same time that Ancelotti arrived at Goodison Park. Since then, he has led the Gunners to an FA Cup victory and turned them into title contenders this season.

Brands also disclosed his disagreement with the appointment of Rafa Benitez as Everton’s manager in 2021 and the signing of Salomon Rondon. He said that Benitez’s choice was not in line with his vision for the club and that Rondon, being in his 30s, would not bring any value to Everton.

“In my second year, Marco Silva was fired, I tried to prevent that, but it was beyond my control,” Brands said. “While I knew: he is a good trainer, he is now proving that at Fulham.

“The owner also determined that there should be an experienced successor, while the chairman and I wanted Mikel Arteta. In the end it was Carlo Ancelotti.

“He [Moshiri] wanted Rafael Benitez as a coach in 2021, which was not my choice. And Benitez wanted Salomon Rondon, I couldn’t approve that. He was already in his 30s, was not on the scouting list, he was not going to bring Everton anything.

“Way too high salary too. I said I thought it was a bad idea. Think of it as a present for the trainer, said the owner. Then you are powerless.”

In contrast, Arteta’s tenure at Arsenal has been marked by a clear vision and a focus on nurturing young talents like Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.

His ability to develop players and implement a winning mentality has been instrumental in Arsenal’s rise in the Premier League.

While Brands’ desire to have Arteta at the helm of Everton went unfulfilled, Arsenal fans have every reason to celebrate the Spaniard’s impact on their team.

Arteta’s missed opportunity at Goodison Park has undoubtedly benefited the Gunners, as they continue to chase silverware under his leadership.