Reports have it that Mikel Arteta is close to taking over as manager of Arsenal after 68 year old Arsene Wenger retired from the London side. Wenger took charge of his 1,235th and last game as Gunners boss last Sunday, a 1-0 win at Huddersfield.
According to the UK Independent, Arteta and his representatives have held negotiations with the Gunners and are at a stage where backroom staff and financial packages are being discussed.
The club have considered the merits of a number of managers, including Max Allegri, but the current Juventus manager wants greater control over budgets and recruitment for the next cycle of his career.
He will also offer Santi Cazorla a new player-coaching deal, with a role like Michael Carrick’s in his last playing season at Manchester United.
Wenger’s assistant Steve Bould has been offered a new role pending the next manager’s approval, but he has not yet indicated a definite willingness to stay himself, and is understood to be weighing up a potential position at Stoke City.
Arteta, a former Arsenal captain who played for the club from 2011 to 2016, has been working as a coach at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola since July 2016.
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