Ex-Arsenal striker Nicholas: I wanted Rodgers, but Arteta could emulate Wenger

Former Arsenal striker Charlie Nicholas has suggested that Mikel Arteta could follow in Arsene Wenger's footsteps at the Emirates.

"My initial choice was Brendan Rodgers," he said. "But the honest truth is that Arsenal needed someone, the second choice was Arteta, and this is a project, as they call it in modern-day football.

"Arsene Wenger came with no reputation, and look what happened to him. Arteta has been with, in my opinion, the best in Pep Guardiola, to learn and understand [the game].

"He's an intelligent guy, he's a leader. He was a leader at Everton and Arsenal and was well respected at both. I did not want Arsenal going down the Manchester United line, which was to throw money at a big-name coach. They might win a couple of trophies, but you're building nothing.

"It's all about building blocks, and Arsenal have to get back to that. Arsenal at the moment are an average team, a giant club, and they have to get the balance right.

"This is a three-year project and Arsenal are well behind. But they could be threatening for that top four again next season.

"Could it happen this season? No. They've got too many decisions to make, like: what do I do with the defence? Who is going to be sold? Do [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and [Alexandre] Lacazette want to stay? Do I get rid of [Mesut] Ozil? It's a lot to calculate and process."