Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has added an air of mystery to rumours that his assistant Mikel Arteta could leave to take over as the next Arsenal head coach at the end of the season.
The former Gunners midfielder spent five years at the Emirates Stadium and made 149 appearances, helping Arsene Wenger to become the most successful manager in the history of the FA Cup, lifting the trophy in 2014 and 2015.
In 2017 the north Londoners won the competition for a record 13th time to overtake Manchester United's tally of 12 FA Cup wins.
Guardiola has praised Arteta for his work in helping the ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager to turn City into Premier League champions in 2017 and 2018.
He credited his fellow Spaniard with getting the best out of Raheem Sterling and tweaking his game and the wing play of Leroy Sane in the 2016/17 season and has also hailed his contributions in the dugout over mid-game changes and tactical adjustments.
Following the decision by Wenger to step down as Arsenal manager after 22 years in 2018, the ex-midfielder was one of the candidates considered to succeed the Frenchman as the next head coach.
Instead, the Gunners turned to Unai Emery. After failing to secure a top four finish, and losing in the Europa League final to Chelsea last season, he was relieved of his duties in November following a poor run of form.
Freddie Ljungberg has been placed in command as interim head coach as the club embark on a new search for their next permanent appointment, and Arteta has been heavily-linked with the vacancy.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Arsenal, Guardiola gave an intriguing response when asked about the future of his assistant.
"You can be 45-year-old and believe you’re not ready and 35 and believe you’re ready," he said, as reported by the Manchester Evening News . "Only he knows."
Earlier in December, ahead of facing Manchester United in the Manchester derby, Guardiola said he wanted Arteta to stay at City but backed him to be a success at Arsenal.
"He's able to do that. But it depends on him, the club – many things that I cannot decide," he told reporters. "He's ready [to be a manager]. It’s right when he has an offer and he accepts the offer.
"But if you ask whether he's ready in his knowledge of the game, as a person, as a professional, then he's ready.
"I’m not a guy that puts a gun to the heads of my staff or players and says what they have to do.
"We're human beings and everyone has dreams and desires. Hopefully he can stay this season and the next one – as long as possible in this club.
"That would be my dream, but Mikel has his own life and I will never say what he has to do.
"I arrived here and we were in touch about working together and the time we've spent together has been magnificent.
"I tried to help him and he's helped me a lot. He knows what I want and what the club wants.
"Hopefully he will stay but, at the end of the season, I don’t know what's going to happen."
