Guardiola wants Arteta to stay but concedes Man City assistant´s ´professional desires´ may change

Pep Guardiola has conceded he is uncertain if Mikel Arteta will remain as his assistant for much longer amid reports of Arsenal’s interest.

Former Gunners midfielder Arteta joined Guardiola’s backroom staff in 2016 and has become highly thought of as an assistant coach as Manchester City have stormed to domestic dominance.

Arteta, who spent five years at Arsenal after signing from Everton in 2011, was linked with taking over from Arsene Wenger in 2018, only for Unai Emery to be appointed instead.

Despite a run to the Europa League final last season, ex-Paris Saint-Germain coach Emery has failed to impress, with reports suggesting he is on the brink of dismissal following a poor start to the campaign.

Arteta has again being referenced as a front runner for the job should Emery leave his role.

And, while emphasising his wish for Arteta to remain at City, Guardiola acknowledged it may be difficult to keep his compatriot on board beyond the end of the current campaign.

“Emery is manager of Arsenal,” Guardiola told a news conference when asked about the reports linking Arteta with a return to north London.

“Of course [Mikel] will be a manager sooner or later, if I was in his position, an assistant coach as young as he is [I’d want to be a manager too], but now we’re going to finish this season. In the future I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Community Shield 2019 winners!! Great start of the new season  #communityshield #mancity pic.twitter.com/N1pBXQrM6E

— Mikel Arteta (@m8arteta) August 4, 2019

“I would like [Mikel] to stay with us as much as possible. Manchester City has an incredible value for a person to work at this club for the future, but personal life is personal life, professional desires are professional for each person.

“Everyone, not just me, is more than satisfied to have him here, but what happens at the end of the season, I don’t know.”

Guardiola also claimed Arteta’s managerial credentials were clear from early on in their working relationship, believing the midfield role which both he and Arteta occupied in their playing days provides the ideal platform for a coaching career.

“He was an incredible player, normally with a holding midfielder they have a vision of all the pitch,” Guardiola said. 

“The holding midfielder is an incredible lesson during your career as a player to learn what happens. You don’t need to go to [coaching] school, he was so clever in that.

“More than that he is an incredible human being, work ethic, he works a lot. I said after a few months we were together that this guy would be a manager sooner or later. He is already a manager, he works like a manager.

“That is why we’re satisfied to have him here.”