Manchester City looked at hiring Mikel Arteta before the Arsenal manager signed his most recent contract, according to a report.
David Ornstein reported for The Athletic this week that numerous well-placed sources outside of Manchester City are increasingly anticipating that this will be Pep Guardiola’s final season at the club.
Ornstein added that Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca is among the candidates to replace Guardiola, though he’s not the only contender.
But this isn’t the first time City have started contingency planning for Guardiola’s exit, and last time they even took a look at Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta.
“Arteta was definitely someone I think I heard City had been looking at before he signed his new contract with Arsenal,” Ornstein confirmed.
“Amid that period where Pep Guardiola could well have been leaving, [Guardiola] was the favourite to get the England job, I think the FA had some encouragement at one point.
“But ultimately it didn’t happen, he signed a new contract, they went for Tuchel, and now we’re talking about Maresca (for City).”
Arteta signed that new Arsenal deal in 2024, putting pen to paper on a contract lasting until 2027.
So if City are looking for a new manager next summer, as Ornstein’s sources are beginning to suspect they will be, then the club would have to convince Arsenal to let their manager leave early for a direct rival.
That’s true of Chelsea and Maresca too, of course, but Chelsea have perhaps shown more willingness than any other club to negotiate with and sell to their domestic rivals. The Arteta option seems less likely this time.