Mikel Arteta: Arsenal exit ‘inevitable’ as Gunners “will be looking” at 38-year-old potential successor

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has suggested that Mikel Arteta will inevitably leave his role as Gunners head coach and has tipped him to manage Barcelona in the future.

Arteta is hoping to lift his first major trophy in six years as Arsenal boss this season, with his side still in contention to win the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League – a feat that would mark an unprecedented quadruple.

However, after frustratingly finishing second in each of the last three Premier League seasons, Arsenal appear to be feeling the heat once again in pursuit of their first top-flight title for more than two decades, following a run of just two wins in their last seven matches.

The Gunners let a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 with basement club Wolves at Molineux on Wednesday night, giving title rivals Manchester City the opportunity to move to within two points of the summit if they beat Newcastle United on Saturday.

Arteta was left “extremely disappointed” after his team “didn't perform at the level that is required”, with the 43-year-old urging his players to “swallow that frustration” and moved swiftly on from their latest setback.

“Mikel Arteta will one day manage Barcelona”, says Petit

Some Arsenal supporters believe that the clock could be ticking on Arteta's time at the club, as the Spaniard has found it difficult to deliver silverware and his side have come up short on a number of occasions.

Arteta is under contract at the Emirates Stadium until June 2027 and ex-Gunner Petit would not be surprised to see him take charge of Barcelona due to his strong connection with the club – Arteta began his youth career at Barca and played 42 times for the club’s B team before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2002.

Speaking to BetBrothers, as quoted by the Evening Standard, Petit said: "Mikel Arteta will one day manage Barcelona, I think eventually we'll see that.

"The connections are strong, but I think it depends on how he wants to deal with his managerial career, in terms of having his mind set to be there forever, like a one-club man sort of thing.

"Does he really want to experience football in different countries? To be honest, if he is to leave Arsenal, I see him more likely to go abroad than to another Premier League club. So, obviously, I'd say Barca would be his favourite next move if he were to leave Arsenal.

"To be honest, I don't know what's best. If he wins, he will leave. If he doesn't win, he will leave. I don't know. If he wins, he might continue to increase the number of trophies.

"We would have to be in Arteta's head to think what he wants to do in the future, but for me, I see him more on the long term, as long as possible to stay at Arsenal, rather than moving somewhere else, than leaving any time soon."

‘Any club at the top will be looking at Fabregas’, says Petit

Petit believes that Arsenal legend Cesc Fabregas is someone who the North Londoners “will be looking at” should they need to replace Arteta in the near future.

Fabregas, who made over 300 appearances across eight years as a player at Arsenal, is now in charge of Italian club Como, who secured promotion from Serie B last season and now sit sixth in Serie A, challenging for European qualification.

"I think Cesc Fabregas will take his time because he has everything he needs at Como," said Petit. "He wants players, they bring him players. Whatever he wants, they bring it to him, and that's allowing him to have that kind of power in the decision-making.

"I saw something [last] weekend which I haven't seen throughout the season with Alvaro Morata. Morata got sent off because he reacted to a provocation and Fabregas came out publicly to say he should know better.

"I think it's the first time he goes public about a player instead of going public as he probably did in the past. So for me, that's showing personality, showing, 'I'm the boss,' and that obviously is a sign of 'I'm going to be here for a while.

"His former clubs will let managers go and obviously Chelsea, Arsenal, I mean really any club at the top, will be looking at him as an option because he's doing an incredible job at Como."

Fabregas, 38, is under contract at Como until June 2028 and his impressive rise as a manager is understood to have caught the attention of a number of European clubs including Man City and former club Chelsea.