Sanllehi: Arsenal ‘betrayed the model’
Former Arsenal head of football relations Raul Sanllehi has claimed he would have never made Mikel Arteta manager of the Gunners.
The 56-year-old Spaniard reckons the appointment ‘betrayed the model’ in place at the Emirates, and Arteta should have stayed on as first team coach.
After joining in December 2019, Arteta’s role changed from first team coach to first team manager the following September, shortly after Sanllehi left the club.
It saw the Arsenal boss take on more responsibility off the pitch instead of simply focusing on churning out results.
Sanllehi told The Athletic: “I do not agree when clubs call the first team coach the manager.
“First team coach is first team coach, that is enough. Nowadays, the workload is overwhelming, and I need him to concentrate on the first team.
“Anything that distracts you from that is not your responsibility — travel arrangements, the pitch, salary budget, medical department.
“We will get other people to do that. The first team coach is short-term oriented — just win tonight’s game.
“They have betrayed the model a little bit now. By going back to the manager at the top, that is a mistake, but that is their mistake.”
