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Pep Guardiola remained coy when asked about the future of his assistant Mikel Arteta , who has been linked with the vacancy at Arsenal .
Arsenal sacked manager Unai Emery on Friday morning following a string of poor results and underwhelming performances, culminating in Thursday’s Europa League defeat to Frankfurt.
Arteta was approached by Arsenal following Arsene Wenger’s departure from the Emirates 18 months ago, though then-chief executive Ivan Gazidis ultimately appointed Emery.
The Spaniard is now a leading candidate to replace Emery but Guardiola gave little away when asked about interest in Arteta on Friday.
“He’s in the squad,” he said. “He travels to Newcastle [for City’s lunchtime Premier League kick-off on Saturday]. It’s not a question for me.”
Show all 16 1 /16The favourites to be next Arsenal manager The favourites to be next Arsenal manager Who are the favourites to become next Arsenal manager?? Here are 15 candidates ranked who could replace former boss Unai Emery at the Emirates.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 15. Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City) The former Liverpool manager is flying with Leicester and, but a brand-new contract makes any move away now appear very unlikely.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 14. Ralf Rangnick The architect of much of Red Bull's footballing success, Rangnick has been subject to interest from a host of Europe's elite clubs, including Arsenal. With Manchester United also mooted to be interested, it remains to be seen whether he'd consider a move to north London an attractive proposition.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 13. Julian Nagelsmann (RB Leipzig) The 32-year-old is widely acknowledged as the best young manager in football and someone Arsenal could seek to build a long-term plan around. However, they are far from the only club interested in tempting the German away from Leipzig.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 12. Nuno Espirito Santo (Wolves) The Wolves manager has had great success leading the side from the Championship to the Europa League. He's still relatively young in managerial terms and could also bring close ties with 'superagent' Jorge Mendes.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 11. Mauricio Pochettino (Free agent) The Argentine has publicly claimed he wouldn't manage Spurs' north London rivals. He'd also undoubtedly prefer a role at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or PSG. However, he remains the clear betting favourite to replace Unai Emery and would surely be coveted by the Arsenal hierarchy - no matter how unlikely.
The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 10. Marcelino Garcia Toral (Free agent) A free agent after being sacked by Valencia earlier this season Marcelino is considered another possible option from the continent.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 9. Paulo Sousa (Bordeaux) The former Swansea and Leicester manager would be a left-field choice, but has rehabilitated his reputation in France.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 8. Marcelo Gallardo (River Plate) Linked with Barcelona as the successor to Ernesto Valverde, Arsenal could nip ahead in the race for the Argentine after River Plate's defeat to Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores final.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 7. Rafael Benitez (Dalian Yifang) Although only recently moving to China after ending his reign at Newcastle, the proposition of taking over at Arsenal would likely be too hard for the Spaniard to refuse. He would bring endless experience to the role, however, his appointment would not be a long-term solution.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 6. Eddie Howe (Bournemouth) The Englishman has been considered by a host of top Premier League teams but usually as a second-choice. Could Arsenal be the ones to throw their weight behind him after such a successful spell at Bournemouth?
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 5. Max Allegri (Free agent) The hugely successful former Juventus manager remains without a club after leaving the Italian champions in the summer after a disappointing Champions League run. He was included in Arsenal's shortlist to replace Arsene Wenger.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 4. Patrick Vieira (Nice) The former Arsenal captain has always been linked with a return to the club and would surely be interested in the role. The ball is instead with the Gunners' hierarchy to deem whether Vieira is ready after spells in New York and Nice.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 3. Freddie Ljungberg (Arsenal) If Unai Emery is dismissed, it's believed Ljungberg - his assistant - will at least be given a run of games to see whether he can carry the Gunners until the end of the season. If that spell turns out to be a success, there's no reason why Arsenal wouldn't continue with the well-liked Swede.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 2. Mikel Arteta (Manchester City assistant) Pep Guardiola's assistant came close to taking the job at Arsenal before Unai Emery's arrival. Whether he would be willing to depart the Premier League champions and a position as Guardiola's successor remains a doubt. However, after studying under the greatest manager in football today, the former Arsenal midfielder's potential is enormous and he's already garnered great respect from senior figures and players at City.
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The favourites to be next Arsenal manager 1. Carlo Ancelotti (Free agent) His sacking at Napoli has seen him become the favourite to take over at Arsenal. He was keen on the Tottenham job and, on a short-term basis, he could be seen as a safe pair of hands to guide Arsenal through a troubled period.
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Arteta is a former Arsenal player, making 110 appearances after joining from Everton and serving as club captain before his retirement in 2016.
The 37-year-old subsequently joined Guardiola’s staff at City and has enhanced his reputation in coaching circles while at the club.
Guardiola allowed Arteta to take responsibility of City’s set-up for a game against Arsenal during the 2016-17 season and has always said that his assistant will become a manager one day.
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