Is Mikel Arteta Arsenal’s holiday present?

It’s December, and the holiday spirit fills the air. I hope and pray all Gooners everywhere have a joyous and wonderful holiday season with family and friends.

Now, here’s my holiday advise to all of you…don’t watch the TV, don’t listen to the radio, don’t read the sports papers or blogs, and don’t go to the Emirates. Why, it will only ruin your holiday mojo. Sad, but true.

When I woke this morning I immediately checked my phone for the latest Arsenal news. I guess I don’t follow my own advise! Anyway, the two big headlines were…Arsenal will play Olympiacos in the Europa League Round of 32, and breaking news from Sky Sports who confirmed two Arsenal top dogs were at Mikel Arteta’s home late into the night. They even had photos to prove it!

So, what did I make of both headlines? Well, the Olympiacos thing is neither here nor there with me right now. I guess I should pay more attention to this draw since the Europa League is Arsenal’s only chance to compete in the Champions League next season. As for the Arteta headline, I’m just not that excited if he is named the Gunners next manager. Look at it this way. If you owned a successful company that went into the crapper, would you a hire person with no top management experience to bring it back to life? Probably not. It  doesn’t make sense. The Arsenal board wanted to hire Arteta they should have made this decision when they hired Emery. The team was in a far better position following the Wenger era. Now there are just two many problems to fix, players to get eject into space, and the mountain is too big to climb for a rookie manager.

Maybe it all comes down to the fact no “big name” guy wants to take on this challenge mid-season. Or maybe, a Pochenttino or an Ancelotti  want more money than Stan Kroenke is willing to pay. In my opinion, this manager decision will say a lot about our owner’s “real” investment in this club. Will he splash the cash for a prime time manager, and then, will he cough up the coin in the January transfer window to improve this squad? Stay tuned.

So, as the holidays unfold, let’s hope for a season of peace and love. For all of us Gooners, let’s hope for a season of wins and goals, and of course, a new and shiny manager to be found under our holiday tree.

Cheers. Gunner1953