Incredible Everton swoop for vital Arsenal man revealed by chief who offered to ‘move heaven and earth’

Former Everton director Marcel Brands has detailed his ambitious pursuit of Mikel Arteta, prior to the coach joining Arsenal in December 2019.

After hanging up his boots in July 2016, Arteta began working as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. During Arteta’s three-and-a-half-year spell at the Etihad, City won two Premier League titles and one FA Cup.

However, Arteta soon began to feel like he had the ability to manage his own team, and he was given this opportunity midway through the 2019-20 campaign when former club Arsenal came calling.

Since returning to the Emirates, Arteta has embarked on a long journey to make Arsenal competitive once again. They just came up short in the Premier League title race last season, with City emerging as champions, though the Gunners are hoping to go one better this time around.

Arteta’s side currently sit top of the table, ahead of Liverpool only on goal difference and with a one-point advantage over City.

But things could have been far different for the Spaniard. Brands, who was Everton’s director of football between May 2018 and December 2021, has now claimed he did everything he could to try and make Arteta the club’s new manager in December 2019.

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“I moved heaven and earth to bring Arteta to Everton,” Brands said in an interview with Dutch source Soccer News.

“He is also a former [Everton] player of course. I spent the entire evening at his house and I saw him as the ideal man for us.

Mikel Arteta a ‘top trainer’ – Marcel Brands

“I immediately saw a top trainer. At the time he was still an assistant to Pep Guardiola and he was busy with other things. But you saw that he was becoming a top trainer. I only heard positive things.

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

“His mouth, his nose and his ears. I thought this is the trainer, but for the long term.”

Ultimately, however, Brands and Everton missed out on Arteta as he ended up returning to one of his other former clubs in Arsenal.

It took Arteta plenty of time to get both the personnel and the attitude of the Arsenal squad right. However, Arsenal are now benefitting hugely from the patience they showed in the 41-year-old.

Everton, meanwhile, held talks over bringing David Moyes back to Goodison Park after seeing Arteta move to Arsenal.

But once Carlo Ancelotti became available, the Toffees swooped and managed to capture him in a statement signing.

Everton fans were then put through the extremely tough spells of Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard, with Sean Dyche now trying to undo most of that damage.

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