Chris Sutton has named who he would rather sign for this summer between Manchester United and Arsenal.
Erik ten Hag and Mikel Arteta have enjoyed contrasting seasons in the Premier League. Ten Hag delivered Manchester United’s worst-ever finish in the competition’s history after ending the season in eighth place.
Arteta narrowly missed out on the title by just two points but is still waiting for his second piece of silverware after scooping an FA Cup in his debut season.
Ten Hag didn’t have to wait as long for his second trophy as United boss after securing a memorable FA Cup victory over Manchester City on Saturday.
But the Dutchman’s future remains up in the air as the Red Devils weigh up their options, having held talks with Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Frank.
Whether or not Ten Hag sees another season at Old Trafford remains to be seen but Chris Sutton is under no illusions about who players would rather sign for this summer.
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Sutton says he’s rather sign for Arsenal over Man United
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Sutton explained why he believes Arsenal would be the favoured destination over United at the moment.
He said: “Would you rather be Arteta with his squad or Ten Hag with his squad? That’s the bottom line.
“The point you make about trophies is right, and I’m not going to say there’s been an element of good fortune as they thoroughly deserved it at the weekend, but Arsenal have shown far greater consistency.
“That’s essentially the barometer and going into next season you would still much rather be Arsenal than Man United, unless they did something miraculous in the transfer window. But who would you rather sign for? Arsenal.
“Arsenal are further advanced so in terms of a straight pick if you had the opportunity to go to Man United, in the Europa League, playing for Ten Hag, the way he plays football, or going to Arsenal under Arteta I think that’s a straight forward choice.”
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What Ten Hag has said about his future
Given the doubt surrounding Ten Hag’s future at the moment, a move to Arsenal is likely to appeal more to players.
The Gunners are fighting for league titles under Arteta and there is plenty of work to be done for Sir Jim Ratcliffe before United are in similar conversations.
With that being said, United remain one of the biggest clubs in world football and will always be able to attract the biggest stars.
As for Ten Hag’s future, that is yet to be decided but the Dutchman sent a clear message to his current club after Saturday’s FA Cup final.
“Two trophies in two years is not bad,” he said. “Three finals in two years is not bad. I’m not satisfied with it. We have to do better.
“If they don’t want me, then I go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I do.”