It’s the funny part of the season where anything is possible but somethings remain unlikely. Apparently, Arsenal are about to bid £30 million for Chelsea’s David Luiz, as per reports in the Express.
He’s a decent player, no doubt about that, but who would want to invest that type of cash on a player who has fallen foul of two Chelski managers and often forgets to defend. We have currently Hector Bellerin in that role, thanks very much!
As good as he could be, he’s in the wrong end of his twenties and on his own, he wouldn’t be the answer to Arsenal’s considerable defensive problems.
Luiz is apparently in demand with a host of clubs including Real Madrid who are considering a move for the Brazilian, so a move to a struggling club that finds it difficult to qualify for the Champions League would be a strange choice to say the least.
Wenger isn’t very astute when it comes to defenders, in the whole 21 years of his tenure only the inherited defence built by George Graham and those Wenger assembled to create the invincibles were genuinely worth crowing about. In between we have had an assortment of disasters and misfits peppered with the odd solid performer.
The bum footed Gabriel was typical of a Wenger purchase, one that not only couldn’t defend but one that couldn’t hit a cow with a banjo. Pascal Cygan, Phillipe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre are just a few who illustrate the point.
On to Arteta and the recent press story(as per Telegraph) that he is being lined up to become the next Arsenal Manager. He is, apparently, highly regarded at Arsenal, so highly regarded they let him go to Manchester City to work with Pep Guardiola.
So, when Wenger gets the push in 2019, we are supposed to believe that the North London club will plump for the Spaniard in the hope that a bit of the old Pep magic has rubbed off. The press seems to have added one and one and made 57 because there are other former Arsenal players who have been coaching for far longer including Patrick Vierra in the MLS and even Thierry Henry who is involved with the Belgian national team.
I think if anyone will be approached it would be Diego Simeone or Manuel Pellegrini for their vast knowledge and experience but if they look closer to home, it would probably be the names of Eddie Howe or Sean Dyche on a very short list of English successors.
I doubt a handful of seasons with City will be enough to convince the Arsenal board that Arteta is worth taking a chance on, especially after the departure of its most successful and longest-serving manager.
Common sense says that it will be a well-known name to deal with the publicity and pressure involved with filling the Frenchman’s shoes and the prospect of rebuilding its current squad is mountainous.
