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With captain Mikel Arteta rapidly approaching the end of his contract, Jonathan Kaney believes Arsenal must ensure he is awarded a coaching role within the club.
After signing for the Gunners in August 2011 for £10m, Mikel Arteta has been an excellent servant to the club both on and off the pitch.
He hasn’t quite managed to replicate the form that he showed at Everton where he was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and landed PFA Player of Year but, in his five-year stay at the Emirates, he has been a solid and dependable midfielder
His captaincy and leadership off the pitch has been vital in our ascent back to silverware, which has seen us win two successive FA Cup trophies.
It looks as if the experienced midfielder is set to be released alongside Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky at the end of the season and the 33-year-old will likely have no shortage of options to prolong his playing career across Europe, particularly in Spain and England.
With increasingly poor form, age creeping up on him and his persistent injury problems though, there is plenty of speculation that he will retire from playing and move into elite coaching, with Arsene Wenger keen for him to stay on behind the scenes at the Emirates.
It’s a tough one for Arsene, who regards the Spaniard as one his closest and most trusted players and he would loathe to release him. Arteta is club captain – the best we have had in a decade – and is a hugely respected member of the squad, who players trust and look up to.
It’s been painfully clear for some time though that his leadership and motivational ability off the pitch is much greater than his ability on it, and he is nowhere near good enough to merit a place in the squad now.
34 is young to retire these days, particularly as he could still play a few years at a lower level. If he is thinking of hanging up his boots to coach at the end of the season though, it’s absolutely crucial Arsene keeps him at Arsenal – particularly with rumours swirling that Man City are lining him up to work with Pep Guardiola.
It’s gut wrenching that our former captain Patrick Viera has almost severed ties with us and has been bred in the new City setup, it would be frustrating for Gunners to lose another talented coach.
The Spaniard has been a huge part of the clubs rise in the past few years behind the scenes and Wenger should go all out to wrap up a coach signing that could do wonders for the clubs future.
