Football boss 'tried to move heaven and earth' to appoint Mikel Arteta before Arsenal swooped

By premiernews On Mar 22, 2024

Former Everton boss Marcel Brands has revealed he “moved heaven and earth” to try and bring Mikel Arteta to Goodison Park as manager.

The Spaniard is now one of the best coaches in world football by taking charge of Arsenal and see them in first place in the Premier League this season.

Arteta flies high at Arsenal, but things could have been very differentCredit: Getty

His role in North London is his first as a head coach, however that big opportunity could have come at another of his former clubs after he was almost poached in December 2019 while working as pep guardiolaHe is Manchester City's number two.

Talking to a half-Dutch FootballNewsFormer Everton director of football Brands said: “I moved heaven and earth to bring Arteta to Everton.

“Of course, he is also a former player. I spent the whole night at his house and saw him as the ideal man for us.

“I immediately saw a top-notch coach.

“At that time I was still Pep Guardiola's assistant and was busy with other things. But you could see that he was becoming a top-level coach. I only heard positive things.

“Also within the Everton club. Then I was at his house to sound him out and I was very excited. He was very well prepared and that passion came out everywhere.

“His mouth, his nose and his ears. I thought this was the coach, but long term.”

Arteta ended up getting his job at Arsenal at the end of that month, with David Moyes Later, he was approached to return to Goodison Park.

Arteta was working as Guardiola's number two when Everton tried to sign himCredit: getty

Everton fans still remember him fondly after his six years as a player.

Ancelotti ended up being the man named Everton bossCredit: Getty

But in an interview of his own, the now West Ham boss said that the sudden availability of carlo anceloti – who eventually took the job a day after Arteta's appointment at Arsenal – was what ended the Toffees' interest in the Scot.

“When they offered me the job at West Ham, I was actually in Germany with Farhad Moshiri to accept the job at Everton,” Moyes told beinSPORTS.

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“The phone rang and it was David Sullivan, in the middle of a meeting with Everton.

“I had to say: 'I can't talk now.' But Carlo Ancelotti was fired by Napoli that night and they changed course, even though I was supposed to sign the day before, I had told David.

“But the next day Everton didn't make any more contact, so I rang David and said, 'If he's still there', and it couldn't have gone better, it was the right choice.”

Ancelotti spent 18 months at Everton before returning to the Spanish giants real Madrid in the summer of 2021, where he still works as head coach.

Moyes, meanwhile, is still in charge of West Ham, having guided them to the Europa Conference League title last season.

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