Arteta to consider ex-Arsenal team-mate for backroom role if he gets the manager's job
Gossip & Rumours
By
Mirror
| May 16, 2018
Mikel Arteta has plans to offer his former team-mate Santi Cazorla a backroom role at Arsenal, should he be successful in landing the manager's job.
Former Arsenal midfielder Arteta, who is currently a coach at Manchester City, is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Arsene Wenger in the next few weeks, after the club finished the interview process.
Juventus manager Max Allgeri is now out of the running after pledging his allegiance to the Serie A giants, while Hoffenheim insist that their coach Julian Nagelsmann is also staying put.
New York City boss and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira was interviewed, but has been kept in the dark.
Arteta, who is only 36 years old, is exactly what Arsenal are looking for in the wake of Wenger, who announced he would be standing down in April after 22 years in charge of the north London club.
But Gunners supporters are unsure they want an untried manager taking over the reins of their historical club.
Arteta has worked as a coach for just two seasons, and hasn't managed on any level, let alone a team in need of a strong character to turn their fortunes around and see them return to contesting at the highest level.
The young Spaniard has a plan however to get the Arsenal fans on side, and it has been mooted that he could hand Cazorla a backroom role, according to The Independent.
Cazorla, who has been at Arsenal since 2012, but out with a serious injury for the past 19 months, is a fans' favourite at the Emirates.
And having him involved with Arsenal's transition post-Wenger is bound to go down very well with supporters of the north London club.