Sports presenter Richard Keys has claimed that Arsenal should’ve appointed Carlo Ancelotti, while Everton should’ve gone with Mikel Arteta back in December 2019.
Both managers were appointed in the space of a few hours and they oversaw the game between the two clubs from the stands at Goodison Park.
Fast forward 17 months, Arsenal are rotting in ninth in the Premier League, while Everton are a point and a place above us in the table.
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Toffees supporters are fairly content despite last night’s loss to bottom-placed Sheffield United, but Keys believes that they would’ve been raging if anyone else was at the helm instead of Ancelotti.
Keys: Ancelotti would’ve been perfect for Arsenal
He has claimed that the legendary Italian is at the wrong club. He feels that Arsenal would’ve been a perfect fit for Ancelotti, while Arteta at Everton would’ve been brilliant for the Toffees as well.
Keys wrote in his blog: “What the hell is going on at Everton? It doesn’t get any worse than losing at home to the bottom club – who’ve been relegated for weeks. A season that started with so much promise has fallen apart. Anyone other than Carlo Ancelotti would’ve been out on their ear this morning.
“Let’s quickly follow that up. The guy is a legend. He’s the ‘daddy’ of the super-coaches. He’s done it all. But he’s at the wrong club. He’s always been at the wrong club. He was the perfect fit for Arsenal – a steady presence, able to handle big names and he would’ve eased the club back in the right direction.
“I’ve said this all before – Arteta was the right man for Everton – someone who’d had a touch of the ball at Goodison, who understood the club and could learn on the job as he re-built from the bottom up. Everybody would’ve been growing at the same pace.”
The Insider’s View:
Well, if Arsenal appointed Ancelotti to replace Unai Emery, not many Arsenal fans would’ve complained. The Italian’s achievements speak for itself and he could well have changed our fortunes.
However, Arsenal went with Arteta and the Spaniard has had his ups and downs. He won the FA Cup and the Community Shield last year, but he has had a torrid time this term.
It’s impossible to predict if Ancelotti would’ve fared better than Arteta if he was at Arsenal. Only one point separates the two sides at the moment, and there is a good chance the Gunners will finish above the Toffees yet again this term.
Arteta deserves the benefit out of the doubt considering that this is his first job and he has had to go through a lot – both on and off the pitch – since his appointment. He deserves more time to prove himself, but the clock is ticking, and there’s very little margin for error now.
