Mikel Arteta has admitted it is "inevitable" he will one day be sacked as Arsenal manager amid rumours Paris Saint-Germain were keen on prying the Spaniard away from the Emirates.
The Gunners boss is currently plotting a number of high-profile moves as Arsenal aim to go one better than last term's second-placed finish. All three of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Romeo Lavia have been linked with moves to the red half of north London so far this summer, but much to the dismay of the Emirates faithful, the manager was touted with a potential departure.
While Arteta may be the youngest boss in the Premier League, he has amassed enough experience at the top to know just how quickly things can change in elite-level football management.
That's exactly why the Spaniard has come to terms with the idea that he will one day be dismissed from his post as Arsenal manager.
"As a manager, probably it's the (biggest) fear of getting sacked," Arteta confessed to Michael Calvin's Football People podcast back in November. "I made a very conscious decision the day I made the decision to become a coach - I said: 'It will happen. Today, tomorrow, in a month's time, in 10 years' time. I don't know when it will happen.'
"That cannot drive my emotion and this cannot be the reason why I do certain things or not. For me now the fear is to let people down."
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The comments are intense and motivational, traits his admirers have come to expect from just about every Arteta interview.
They are also two traits that PSG may have been impressed with when they put the Spaniard's name on their shortlist to replace Christophe Galtier.
Thankfully for the Emirates faithful, it seems as if Arteta is staying put for the time being as PSG put their resources into pursuing former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique.
However, the reports touting Arteta with the vacancy in the French capital serves as a warning to the Gunners that their manager is highly thought of elsewhere.
Mix that in with the fact that Arteta has admitted himself he knows the day of his Arsenal departure will come eventually and seems mentally prepared for it and all of a sudden the future doesn't seem quite as secure.
The Spaniard only has two years left to run on his current Gunners contract before it expires in the summer of 2025 - the same time as Pep Guardiola's City deal runs out.
It is crystal clear those running the show at the Etihad are admirers of Arteta, who knows what the future holds?
