Mikel Arteta has been given an ultimatum by the Arsenal board and the Spanish boss could be sacked if he fails to meet the target, as per a report from talkSPORT.
The Gunners are in contention to win the Europa League but need to overturn a deficit against Villarreal to reach the final. However, the club’s management will be unhappy with their performances in the Premier League as they are languishing in mid-table away from the European spots.
talkSPORT claims that the boss will be given ten matches next season to show that he is the man for the job. It will also depend on how the North Londoners perform in the summer transfer window which is set to open soon.
The report further claims that significant spending is expected in the summer to support the club’s bid to fight for the top four next season. However, if Arteta is still unable to make the team competitive after reinforcements, it appears that the board will wield the axe.
As for the manager himself, speaking after the Newcastle United game on Sunday he was asked whether he felt his job was in jeopardy. Arteta responded and is quoted by the Express as saying:
“I don’t want to think that way. I want to think that we are going to be in that [Europa League] final and then we are going to have really positive consequences after that.”
Despite their struggles in the Premier League, there have been a number of positives to be taken away from this season. Points have been dropped due to a number of factors and some of them have been beyond the control of the boss and the players. However a team with so much quality across the pitch should definitely be finishing higher up the table/
Arsenal and Arteta face an important summer as they have a chance to reinforce and rectify certain areas of the squad. If the right moves can be made in the transfer window, it will give the club a push in challenging for the Champions League spots next season. There is a lot of potential in the team that the Spaniard is building but it has to translate into results.