Mikel Arteta emerges as leading candidate to take charge of Arsenal - report

Arsenal hope to appoint Manchester City assistant coach Mikel Arteta as their next manager, according to reports.The Gunners are on the lookout for a new permanent boss after the dismissal of Unai Emery at the end of last month.Freddie Ljungberg is currently serving on a caretaker basis but is not expected to be handed the reins full-time.The Swede has won only one of his four Premier League matches in charge, with Manchester City the latest team to inflict defeat on the north London outfit on Sunday.And Arsenal are now set to ramp up their interest in City's Arteta, according toSky Sports.The club are coming under pressure to make an appointment before the end of the month, with any new manager likely to push for new signings in the January transfer window.Ljungberg called on Arsenal to make a decision soon following Sunday's 3-0 loss to City, which leaves his side seven points adrift of the top four.Arsenal's long-list of potential successors to Emery included Arteta, Brendan Rodgers, Carlo Ancelotti, Max Allegri, Nuno Espirito Santo and Patrick Vieira.Senior figures at the club are keen on a figure who knows Arsenal, is available immediately and has Premier League experience, with Arteta the only member of the above sextet who ticks all three boxes.The Spaniard came close to getting the job in summer 2018 following Arsene Wenger's departure, before Arsenal ultimately opted to hand control to Emery.Pep Guardiola previously declared that he did not expect Arteta to walk away from his position at City in the middle of the season.The lure of the Arsenal hot seat could prove too strong, however, with the former midfielder still a popular figure at the Emirates Stadium.The Gunners are next in action on Saturday when they take on Everton, another of Arteta's old clubs,at Goodison Park.READ MOREWhy isn’t Hector Bellerin the Arsenal captain?Champions League last-16 draw probabilities: Why Chelsea are more likely to get Barcelona – and what fates await Liverpool, Man City and TottenhamLong read: It's not the economy, stupid – how football cost Labour a general election