Mikel Arteta has revealed he turned down the chance to work at Arsenal under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger following his decision to retire as a player.
The 40-year-old hung up his boots six years ago after a succession of Achilles injuries restricted him to just 14 appearances in the 2015/16 season s the Gunners missed out on the Premier League title to Leicester City.
Wenger had already spotted the potential in Arteta as a coach and offered the Spaniard a chance to further his education with a senior role in the club’s academy.
Arteta, however, had already been building a relationship with incoming Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and instead opted to leave Arsenal for a senior role at the Etihad Stadium.
Explaining that decision, Arteta told Sky Sports: ‘It was a tough decision because I was really attached to Arsenal and I could see there was a role I could fulfil and it would be really helpful.
‘But again going back to the story that was building many yeara before with Pep I thought that was the right decision for me.
‘I wanted to experience that. I had my fears because I hadn’t coached anybody so how am I going to go to the best coaching staff in the world and give something back that you are expecting me to do? But Pep was so convinced about it that I made the decision to go there.
‘I think I able to do it because Pep was so supportive, so open and he gave me so much license right from the beginning that he made my job easier.
‘At the start I didn’t speak much and just listened, you have to get the dynamic of the staff what the manager really wants. Then with the players it was easy they were a great group, they were so welcoming and then it was about building that trust.’
Arteta’s bond with Guardiola started many years before the now current Arsenal manager began plying his trade in England and first came across his mentor when he was progressing through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy.
He added: ‘We met when I was 15 years old he was my idol he was the one to try to emulate if I wanted to be a first team player at Barcelona and we built that relationship from there.
‘It was weird because when I was still a player and he was manager at Barcelona and Bayern Munich he used to call me to ask about English teams and how you would play against them.
‘One day he was very clear to me, the day that I am in England I have a dream to do what I did in Barcelona in the league that everyone says it is impossible to do and I would like your help, your support and your experience to achieve that dream.’
MORE : Mikel Arteta reveals he threatened to axe Granit Xhaka if he refused to adapt at Arsenal
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