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Mikel Arteta No Longer Arsenal Head Coach As Key Job Change Is Confirmed

Mikel Arteta No Longer Arsenal Head Coach As Key Job Change Is Confirmed

The Spaniard has had a great start to life in the dugout.

Daniel Marland

Daniel Marland

Mikel Arteta has been promoted from Arsenal head coach to first team manager after a promising debut campaign.

Arteta was employed as head coach back in December and helped guide the club to FA Cup glory last month.

Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham expressed his delight at the Spaniard's progress after taking over during 'the toughest nine month period this club has had in its 134-year history.'

The 38-year-old's new role means he will have a bigger say in terms of how the club operates going forward.

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PA

Venkatesham explained to Arsenal Digital per Sky Sports: "Despite all of those challenges, Mikel has been driving this football club forward.

"He hasn't been a head coach from the very first day he walked in the door. He has been doing much more than that.

"That [title change] is really a recognition of what he has been doing from the day he walked in the door and also the capabilities that we believe Mikel has."

As well as the FA Cup, Arteta helped Arsenal win the Community Shield with a 2-1 victory over Premier League champions Liverpool.

"That is no mean feat," Venkatesham stated when discussing Wembley glory. "And we really acknowledge the man's capabilities, and that the man's capabilities fit much better as a manager than as a head coach.

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PA

"In terms of what that actually means, other than job titles, I guess the head coach is typically responsible for coaching the team - so running the coaching department of the team.

"But how we're going to structure things going forward is that Mikel and Edu together will lead all of the other disciplines responsible in the men's first team - whether that's analysis, scouting, medical, high performance, they will lead those areas together."

Arteta is thought to be well liked among Arsenal's players, with his most important supporter being Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabonese forward has been Arteta's talisman since taking over and he is close to signing a new contract.

Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League last season and they start their season on Saturday afternoon against Fulham.

Do you think Mikel Arteta is the man who will take Arsenal back to the top?

Let us know in the comments below.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: Football News, Football, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta