Newcastle offered Arteta a rare long-term contract in 2019 before Arsenal swooped

Newcastle came close to appointing Mikel Arteta as their manager in the summer of 2019, months before he took charge at Arsenal, with owner Mike Ashley prepared to hand him the kind of lengthy contract rarely offered to a first-time head coach, according to the Telegraph.

The Magpies were searching for a replacement for Rafa Benitez, whose departure had angered supporters given his popularity at St James’ Park. Arteta, then Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City, had no previous experience as a No.1, yet Ashley was willing to overlook that and back him with a substantial deal.

Arteta was genuinely tempted by the offer and began making moves to assemble a backroom staff in the north east. However, having never managed independently before, he lacked a ready-made group of assistants to call upon, and those he wanted to bring with him were unable to join at the time. That obstacle proved decisive, and he turned the role down.

Newcastle instead appointed Steve Bruce and finished 13th for the second consecutive season — the same position they had occupied in Benitez’s final year. The club had also lost forwards Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon that summer, the pair having combined for 23 of Newcastle’s 42 league goals the previous campaign.

Arteta went on to join Arsenal in December 2019 and has since established himself as one of Europe’s leading managers, ending the club’s long wait for a Premier League title. Yet Newcastle have provided some of the more painful chapters of his tenure.

In May 2022, Arsenal needed a positive result in the penultimate Premier League game of the season to secure a top-four finish, but lost at St James’ Park, allowing Tottenham to claim the final Champions League place instead. Three years later, in 2025, Arsenal were favourites to reach the Carabao Cup final but were eliminated by Newcastle, with Eddie Howe’s side winning both legs 2-0 for a 4-0 aggregate victory.