Mikel Arteta was previously on Everton's radar before he opted for Arsenal with the Toffees hiring Carlo Ancelotti instead, who has achieved huge things since leaving Goodison Park
In December 2019 Everton and Arsenal were both left with managerial vacancies. The Merseysiders had stalled under Farhad Moshiri with his ambitions not being backed up by performances on the pitch whilst the Gunners were in danger of becoming fallen giants.
The decisions of their hierarchies would be huge. Names were banded about, one of those being Carlo Ancelotti, who at that point was out of a job having been sacked by Napoli in early December. It meant a three-time Champions League winner was on the market. Arsenal seemed like a logical fit with the two big names coming together. Instead the Gunners went as far down the opposite end of the spectrum as possible, hiring a man who had never managed a game in his life.
Mikel Arteta had performed his tutorship under Pep Guardiola, winning successive Premier League titles, and had an appetite to step out on his own. The Spaniard had played for Everton and the Gunners and heading to Goodison Park was perhaps the more logical first step.
So when Arsenal appointed Arteta and Everton hired Ancelotti a day later, many questioned whether both clubs had gone for the wrong man. Marcel Brands was then part of the hierarchy at Goodison Park and he had banged the Arteta drum during meetings.
The former director of football has revealed he "moved heaven and earth" to try and appoint Arteta and held meetings with the then City assistant, seeing him as the long-term man to lead the Toffees.
"He is also a former player of course. I spent the entire evening at his house and I saw him as the ideal man for us," he previously told Dutch outlet SoccerNews. "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."
Despite his enthusiasm the owner at Everton was adamant experience was a must - and that was why Ancelotti was ultimately pursued. Arsenal also made their interest known and Arteta jumped at the opportunity to land such a job despite having no previous pedigree.
“The owner also determined there should be an experienced successor, and while the chairman and I wanted Mikel Arteta, in the end, it was Carlo Ancelotti," said Brands.
Arteta initially found life difficult at Arsenal as the scale of the job was made clear. He edged out Ancelotti and Everton 3-2 within months of them both taking on their new roles, but the following season the Italian guided the Toffees to a rare double over the Gunners.
Ancelotti's only full season with Everton saw them start well and threaten to make the top four, only to fall short. A highlight was ending their Anfield hoodoo, but when Real Madrid were looking for a manager they gave the Italian the call for the second time and he left for Spain.
Having been sacked by Bayern Munich in 2017 - and then Napoli two years later - Ancelotti's stock wasn't at its previous heights but since heading back to lead Los Blancos, the manager known as Don Carlo has won two Champions Leagues and now has a third in his sights - ahead of a quarter-final showdown next week.
Safe to say it was Ancelotti, not Everton as a club, who won long-term from him being appointed in late 2019. Arsenal meanwhile endured short-term pain for potential long-term gain and for the first time in a decade they are title challengers having once been happy to simply make the top four.
The cynics will point to Arteta winning just the one trophy - and that came early in his tenure as they landed the FA Cup five years ago. Since then there's been several near misses, but Arsenal haven't been this competitive for some time and much of that is down to Arteta.
If continuity is anything to go by then since making that call to Ancelotti in 2019 Everton are onto their fifth manager. Arsenal meanwhile have steadily grown with Arteta, but the real winner from those decisions six years ago is the Italian, back at the pinnacle of European football in its biggest job.
DrHalaMsdrid
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They will still need to sack ARTETA at some point… many not this year or next year though … but soon he will he sacked and winners like ANCELOTTI OR CONTE or PEP will be hired !!!