Arsenal and Man City reach Mikel Arteta agreement as Pep Guardiola gives blessing

Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola and his assistant Mikel Arteta. [Courtesy]

Mikel Arteta will be named as Arsenal manager within the next 48 hours.

It is understood that Arsenal and Manchester City have reached an agreement over Arteta’s departure to take over at the Emirates.

Mirror Sport revealed on Tuesday that Arteta, 37, has agreed to take the job after negotiations on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Arteta still travelled with the City squad to their Carabao Cup tie on Wednesday night but Pep Guardiola has given his blessing.

Arsenal are now in the final pieces of completing the deal and want to announce it before Saturday’s trip to Everton but there is still paperwork which may mean it could be delayed even to Friday.

But all parties are now in agreement and the deal is effectively done having been rubber-stamped with Arsenal director Josh Kroenke. It also comes with the blessing of former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who believes Arteta has the credentials to be a huge success.

Wenger, currently in Doha in his new role with FIFA, said: “I believe that Arteta has certainly a great future, he has certainly learned a lot in his first position as an assistant coach.

“After that as well he will have to deal with the fact that he has no experience at that level and he will have to get surrounded well, have a good environment at the club.

“The most important thing is that every club, Arsenal especially, is built on special values. Inside the club, people have to take care of that. That is the most important thing.

“What makes a club great is the values of the club. You have to be faithful to that and continue to develop that and he will have to respect that if he comes in.

“The club has to make the right decisions. It is built on good values and good players. The club has to get those two together.

Mikel Arteta will be named as Arsenal manager within the next 48 hours. [Courtesy]

“I will support him, just as I have supported Freddie Ljungberg and I support Arsenal.”

Wenger did, however, admit he is sad to see his club currently stuck in mid-table after he led them to three titles and made them a European heavyweight.

But Wenger refused to be critical of Unai Emery who was sacked after 18 months in charge and also questioned some of the signings in recent times which has not worked.

He said: “I have given a big part of my life, 22 years in the career of a football manager is not nothing.

“When I left, I wanted this club to have stability. Let’s not forget we were 20 consecutive years in the top four.

“The last year was a bit more difficult but we had stability. What you need to find is consistency now.

Mikel Arteta. [Courtesy]

“Arsenal is going through a very difficult period. It’s better I don’t comment too much on that. I just suffer, like every other supporter.

“I don’t want to judge that (Emery). When Unai was in charge I supported him. He was unlucky because he had a bad spell.

“When you don’t win for a while, a football manager always has to reduce the crisis time because patience is very short. I felt sorry for him.

“When I left, the club was in a very strong financial position and they bought many players in-between. They have not all worked out.

”I believe that it's not a question of time. The change can be very efficient very quickly, it's just about the right decision-making and that's all that it's about in football, it's about good players.

"We speak about the success of Liverpool, of course, they have a great manager, but you have to say as well that in the last three-four years, they bought the right players.”

Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brother Willy has questioned the appointment on social media as he wrote: “Ljungberg, Arteta is the same. No experience.”