What happened to the manager Arsenal were 'thinking about' replacing Mikel Arteta with

Mikel Arteta is on the verge of throwing it all away at Arsenal

Arsenal threw away their title advantage in Sunday's defeat by Manchester City. The Gunners fell to a 2-1 loss, enabling Pep Guardiola's side to recover crucial ground in the race for the Premier League.

While Arsenal maintain a three-point cushion at the top, City could draw level on 70 points should they overcome Burnley on Wednesday evening. Mikel Arteta now finds himself dependent on City faltering elsewhere, while the Gunners must secure victory in all their remaining fixtures to claim domestic glory this season.

Despite the weekend's setback, Arteta has made considerable progress at Arsenal, particularly given his position appeared under threat back in 2020. At the time, the Spaniard had recently led the Gunners to an FA Cup, yet they were struggling, and following a home defeat against Wolves, Arteta acknowledged his job was in jeopardy.

During that period, reports emerged suggesting Arsenal were preparing for life after Arteta and had identified a potential replacement. Italian outlet StadioSport claimed the Gunners were contemplating former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.

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The 67-year-old had spent a single campaign with the Blues, guiding them to Europa League glory with a 4-1 demolition of Arsenal in the final. Despite mounting speculation, Arteta engineered a turnaround in north London and remains at the helm today.

Meanwhile, Sarri is currently managing Lazio, who occupy a respectable ninth place in the table following a convincing 2-0 victory over Serie A champions Napoli on their own patch. Sarri has been at the helm of Lazio since 2021, albeit with a 15-month hiatus during the 2024/25 season after stepping down of his own volition in March 2024.

Up in north London, Arteta has come agonisingly close to silverware on numerous occasions with Arsenal. The Gunners have finished as Premier League runners-up three consecutive times and have fallen short in several cup finals.

Their most recent trophy came in 2023, when they beat City 4-1 on penalties in the Community Shield. With the Premier League title still very much up for grabs and a daunting Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid on the horizon, Arsenal face the prospect of another barren season.

Arteta is acutely aware of the mounting pressure on his squad, yet remains confident they can deliver. Speaking following the defeat to City, he said: "I believe today, I believe on Wednesday, a week ago, because I see them every day and I know the level that we have. But today, if they need to be more convinced, I think they are now more convinced.

"They were talking about it in the dressing room. It's a new league now. They were a game in hand. We have three points of advantage and five games to play. So everything is still to play for. So we know how much we want it and we're not going to stop and we're going to go again, that's for sure."