Arteta ignored Guardiola's caution over Arsenal job — then led them to the title

Mikel Arteta disregarded a personal warning from Pep Guardiola before accepting the Arsenal manager’s job in December 2019 — a decision that ultimately proved correct as he guided the club back to the Premier League title.

Arteta had spent three years as a coach under Guardiola at Manchester City following his retirement from playing in 2016, a spell that yielded two Premier League titles, two Carabao Cups and an FA Cup. When Arsenal came calling, Guardiola made his reservations known, pointing to the club’s decline since the Arsène Wenger era.

“I think Arsenal [are] always one of the best teams of the last 20 years,” Guardiola said at the time. “When Arsene took over the team, he raised the club to another level and now they are struggling a little bit the last years. When the club takes a decision to replace the manager or buy players, it’s always to rise to be better. Whether it’s going to happen or not, I don’t know. You know my opinion about Mikel. He’s a professional human being and a person, I don’t have doubts about that.”

Arteta inherited a club sitting tenth in the Premier League table after Unai Emery’s troubled tenure and Freddie Ljungberg’s five-match interim stint. The turnaround was gradual but significant, culminating in a string of title challenges before Arsenal eventually claimed the Premier League crown — a reward that has since been followed by a lucrative new contract for the Spaniard.

Guardiola, meanwhile, departed Manchester City at the end of last season and is currently taking a break from management. His exit came as City were found guilty of breaching 114 Premier League financial rules, casting a shadow over his decade at the club.

Despite the intensifying rivalry between Arsenal and City in recent seasons, the mutual respect between the two managers has remained intact. Speaking ahead of an FA Cup tie in 2023, Arteta reflected on the unusual dynamic of competing against his mentor.

“It’s a strange feeling. I want the best for him, genuinely, and when you are challenging with someone like this, something comes in between that,” Arteta said. “That’s not going to change any friendship, the moments that we have, how important he is in my life, how important he is in my profession. We’re both willing to win and defend our clubs in any way and that’s always been the case since day one.”

Guardiola has been equally generous in his assessment of the relationship. “I don’t know what my part on him was, but his influence on me was great, was massive, was so important to become a better, better manager,” he said.