Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his players have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks over what appears to be a season quickly going out of control. The future of the Spanish tactician at the club is dependent on his side picking up silverware this term, as per reports.
A report from Mundo Deportivo (via Arsenalinsider.com) has stated that the board of the club will look to move in a different direction if they end the season trophyless. They have identified former captain and Como manager Cesc Fabregas as their perfect candidate to replace Arteta if the need arises.
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Arsenal have endured a disappointing few weeks, losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City before crashing out of the FA Cup at the hands of Southampton. Both defeats came in successive games, ending the club’s slim hopes of picking up an unprecedented quadruple this season.
They remain at the summit of the Premier League, even if a 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth on Saturday opened the door for Manchester City to catch them. They are also in control of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against Sporting Club, having won the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon.
Arteta has been at Arsenal since 2019 and has won the FA Cup once, back in 2020. He has also won the FA Community Shield on two occasions, doing so in 2020 and 2023. His contract at the Emirates is set to run until 2027, and the club is considering handing him an extension. The extension talks could quickly become termination talks unless he delivers silverware this season.
Former midfielder Fabregas is seen as the ideal manager to take on the club’s project after Arteta following two strong seasons in Serie A with Como. The 38-year-old has steered his side to 5th place in the Italian top-flight, keeping them firmly in the race for UEFA Champions League football next season.
Arsenal boss refuses to blame poor form on fatigue
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to blame his side’s recent struggles on tiredness. The Gunners succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth, their third loss in four games across all competitions.
Arteta spoke after the game, pointing out that he needs his team to be able to fight when things get tough, but refused to blame their performance on tiredness. He urged the Arsenal stars to enjoy the opportunity before them and try to achieve their aims between now and June.
“I don’t want to pull on those excuses because we’ve been playing so many games, every three days, and we’re going to have to continue to do that. That’s the context and that’s the scenario, and we have to embrace it and especially enjoy the opportunity.
That’s one of the things that I didn’t see from the team, that level of enjoyment in certain moments and the fight that we have to have to really change the course of the game when it gets difficult. We’re going to have different contexts from here to June, and we need to be able to adapt and resolve all of them, if we want to achieve what we want to achieve”, he said (via ESPN).
Arteta’s side laboured to a 1-0 win over Sporting Club in mid-week thanks to a stoppage time Kai Havertz strike for their only win in four. They will face the Portuguese side again before taking on rivals Manchester City in the league.
Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen
