Arsenal seriously considered appointing Mauricio Pochettino as Unai Emery’s successor in November 2019, according to a new book charting the club’s return to the top of the Premier League.
The Telegraph’s Sam Dean reports that Pochettino was among several candidates approached by Arsenal after Emery was dismissed. The Argentine was available at the time, having been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur only 10 days before Emery’s departure.
Arsenal held “serious talks” with Pochettino, who “showed a willingness to engage with the Gunners”, Dean writes.
A move to Emirates Stadium would have given the North London Derby an additional edge, with Pochettino having spent five years managing Tottenham Hotspur. His appointment would also have been an especially contentious one given the limited movement between the two clubs.
No player had moved directly between Arsenal and Tottenham since William Gallas in 2010. Before that, the most prominent transfer between the rivals was Sol Campbell’s switch from Tottenham to Arsenal in 2001.
There had been very little player movement between the clubs in the years that followed, making the possibility of Pochettino taking charge of Arsenal a potentially controversial development in English football.
Pochettino was not the only high-profile name under consideration.
Arsenal also looked at former captain Patrick Vieira, whose coaching work at Nice in Ligue 1 had impressed people at Emirates Stadium. Roberto Martinez, then manager of the Belgian national team, was another candidate and “advanced quite far in the process”.
Former Nottingham Forest and Wolves manager Vitor Pereira was also included on the shortlist, alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Julian Nagelsmann and Massimiliano Allegri.
Despite the experience and achievements of those managers, particularly Ancelotti and Allegri, Arsenal technical director Edu opted for Mikel Arteta.
The decision represented a significant gamble at the time. Before returning to Arsenal, the Spaniard had worked only as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and had never managed a senior side.
The appointment ultimately proved highly successful. Arteta guided Arsenal to the FA Cup in his first season and later ended the club’s 22-year wait for a Premier League title last season.
Before winning the championship, Arsenal had finished runners-up for three consecutive years. Arteta has since committed his future to the club by signing a contract that will keep him as Arsenal manager until 2030.
