Mikel Arteta was right to spurn Newcastle but faces biggest test of Arsenal career against Eddie Howe’s side

Had Mikel Arteta not heeded the warning of Rafa Benitez, he could well have been the manager of Newcastle United.

Arteta was giving serious consideration to Newcastle’s offer back in 2019, so much so that Steve Bruce – the man who did end up in the role – was comfortable enough to tell a pack of local journalists over sandwiches and drinks at a Gosforth pub a week or so after his appointment that he was second choice for the role, talks having got “pretty far along” before the Spaniard’s change of heart.

No doubt Benitez, burned by the parsimony and stubbornness of Mike Ashley’s stewardship, and his less than glowing reference played a part in that.

Instead, Arteta waited it out as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, became the right man for Arsenal at a time that begged for a rebuild and the rest is history.

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Fate drags him back to St James’ Park on Monday at arguably the most important juncture in his Gunners career. After a comprehensive loss at Tottenham, the margin for error has been effectively wiped out.

On Tyneside, his Arsenal side will find a Newcastle with little to play for but plenty of motivation to prove themselves. He may have been nominated for Premier League manager of the year but Eddie Howe, for one, feels their achievements have been played down by some.

Howe is rarely flustered, joking at Friday’s press conference about his tendency to deal with even the most uncomfortable bouncer from journalists with the straightest of bats.

He did allow a rare insight into his thinking when asked how he felt that his achievement in keeping Newcastle in the division from the most desperate of positions was being written off in some quarters as solely the result of a huge January spend.

“The easy thing is to talk about money. It is not what has got us here,” Howe said.

“January helped massively, and the money helped the team, and the players who came in made a huge difference. But I don’t think it was the reason we did very well.

“You look at the St James’ Park atmosphere again, a crowd in a place where they are proud of the team, and seeing a team giving everything to try and win a game. It has been great to see and experience. It has been electric and the crowd has helped us get points. A key part of the future is to try and keep that dynamic as strong as it is now.”

Heads in Newcastle aren't spinning at the thought of signing a Hazard or Bale – they want another Bruno Guimaraes, their breakthrough Brazilian superstar

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He has a point there. Newcastle’s fans, including the influential Wor Flags group who are responsible for the impressive pre-match displays, are looking forward to the idea that their club can be kingmakers in the top-four race at a point when they’d assumed they would be fretting over survival.

And the atmosphere and reconnection has been a real feature of their run-in. Few are unduly bothered about the sports washing debate sparked by the club’s decision to go with a white and green change strip for next season, mirroring the Saudi national kit.

They see a team in their own mould, and Howe deserves huge credit for fostering that togetherness.

“I want the players to get the credit for their performances,” he says.

“The team has come together and fought for every point and I don’t think money gives you that.”

Arteta might find some succour in Arsenal’s recent record against Newcastle: seven straight wins, 16 goals scored in that period with no goals conceded. Their solitary win in the last 12 years was in 2018.

He’s also convinced his group is one with the right mentality. Asked what he had learned from Thursday’s humiliation he replied: “How lucky I am to have them, how they stand under any difficulty, how much they are looking forward to playing on Monday, how excited they are about the challenge ahead, because we all know that we’ve been through throughout the season and how much we have fought to be in this position.”

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