Gerard Pique admits it would be ‘obvious’ for Arsenal man to join Barcelona this summer

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Former Barcelona star Gerard Pique has now claimed that it would make a lot of sense for one Arsenal player to move to Spain this summer.

Arsenal know full well how it feels to lose a star to the Catalan club, just look at how gut-wrenching Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry’s departures were.

Barcelona have always had a rich pull, even if that has slightly lessened in a below-par period for the club under Xavi Hernandez’s management.

That being said, Xavi has already announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season, readying the side for a new chapter.

And with that in mind, Gerard Pique has now been discussing the possibility of Mikel Arteta leaving Arsenal in order to head to Barcelona as Xavi’s replacement.

Arteta is of course very settled at the Emirates, but when speaking to The Times, Pique considered the move an ‘obvious’ one.

The former Spain international also said that a return for Pep Guardiola would be very welcome, saying he or Arteta would be a great move for Barca.

Gerard Pique wants Barcelona to move for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

Speaking in the interview, Pique put a lot of value on Arteta already understanding the ethos of the club from his playing days.

He explained: “To manage Barca you need to be a specific type of coach and to understand the way Barça play, so the options are much less.

“The obvious ones are [Pep] Guardiola, because he had his past here, and he is the best coach right now, and Arteta. He would be a good one also. He understands Barcelona and played for Barca in the past.”

Of course, Arteta did also have a rich connection with Arsenal before becoming manager of the club.

In comparison to his 42 Barcelona B appearances, Arteta boasts 150 games for Arsenal, a player who Arsene Wenger could always turn to.

There may well be temptation for Arteta to coach Barcelona in future, but Arsenal fans will be pretty confident that Pique will have to wait.

That future is probably in five to ten years time, rather than being just around the corner.

All that being said, Ian Wright has now been pointing out one concern he has before the tie with Bayern Munich.