Gerard Pique has commented on whether he would be interested in Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta succeeding Xavi as Barcelona manager this summer.
Barcelona are one of the giants in world football looking for a new manager this summer. Xavi announced earlier this year that he will step down at Camp Nou at the end of the campaign.
Barca have had such a turbulent time over the last few years. Nevertheless, you would imagine that it would be a difficult job for almost anyone on the planet to turn down right now.
Gerard Pique would like to see Mikel Arteta at Barcelona
There were surprise reports that Mikel Arteta was ready to leave Arsenal to take the Barcelona job. However, Arteta quickly dismissed that speculation. Arsenal meanwhile, are ready to offer Arteta a new contract to ensure that he continues his amazing work at the Emirates.
But some associated with Barca would clearly be very happy to see Arteta end up in Catalonia. In an interview with The Times, Gerard Pique was discussing who he would like to see replace Xavi. And the retired centre-back suggested that Arteta is one of the standout candidates.
“To manage Barça you need to be a specific type of coach and to understand the way Barça play, so the options are much less,” he says. “The obvious ones are [Pep] Guardiola, because he had his past here, and he is the best coach right now, and [Arsenal’s Mikel] Arteta. He would be a good one also. He understands Barcelona and played for Barça in the past,” he said.
Definitely not the right time to leave Arsenal
Of course, Barcelona will hold a special place in the hearts of those who have represented the club in some way. And Arteta is likely to be one of those who probably dreamed of managing them one day.
However, given what he has been able to achieve at Arsenal, you have to wonder why he would want to leave anytime soon.
Unless he is told that the club have to sell some of their key players, Arsenal appear to have everything in place to keep moving forward. And they have already come so far during his time in charge.
Meanwhile, Barca have had seven permanent managers since Pep Guardiola stepped down in 2012. The job is going to come up again in the future.
So there may be a time for Arteta to take the chance. But this summer is surely not that time.
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