Arsenal chiefs sent Mikel Arteta warning by Sven Mislintat before departure
Arsenal’s former head of recruitment Sven Mislintat warned club chiefs against appointing Mikel Arteta as manager during his time at the Emirates.
Mislintat spent just over a year at Arsenal and was involved in the process of finding a successor to Arsene Wenger when the legendary Frenchman departed the club in 2018.
Arteta was one of the candidates for the job but, according to a report from the Independent, Mislintat warned against giving him the role, with the German concerned about his lack of experience.
At the time, Arteta had been Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City for just two years and Arsenal ended up appointing Unai Emery instead.
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However, 18 months later Emery was given the boot and Arteta appointed as his replacement, with Mislintat having left the club in February 2019.
Although Arteta initially impressed, guiding the Gunners to an FA Cup win, Arsenal have struggled this season.
They have had their worst start to a top flight campaign since 1974, with their 1-0 loss to Burnley on Sunday the first time Arsenal have lost four league games in a row at home since 1959.
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Despite the poor start, Arteta was given a vote of confidence before the Burnley loss, with the club’s chief executive Vinai Venkatesham saying: “I think with Mikel we have got a number of things.
“I think you have got an individual who has extraordinary experience in the Premier League across his time at Arsenal, Everton, Man City and then back at Arsenal.
“The team he has formed with Edu, and also his technical staff, is really, really strong. You have got a guy who is absolutely driven to succeed. We’ve got a really, really powerful individual.”
Arsenal’s next game sees them host Southampton on Wednesday and it will be a tough test for the Gunners, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side currently fourth in the table while Arsenal are just five points off the relegation zone.
