Mikel Arteta could land double blow on Guardiola as Arsenal and Man City rivalry heats up

Mikel Arteta could land a sensational double blow on Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola during what could prove to be the Catalan’s final season in the Premier League.

Guardiola is out of contract in the summer, with doubts over whether the ex-Barcelona chief will sign an extension with the all-conquering Blues having popped up at the end of last season.

Music to the ears of Arsenal fans, who have been denied back-to-back Premier League titles because of Guardiola’s City.

But, that could be about to change this season, with Arsenal having shown during their weekend match-up against the four-in-a-row Premier League champions that they’re more than good enough to frustrate and compete against City.

Arsenal have now restricted City to four winless meetings in a row and away from the pitch, a genuine rivalry appears to be emerging between the two sets of players.

Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker were just some of the City players who spoke out about Arsenal’s tactics and game plan following Sunday’s Etihad encounter. A sign Arsenal might be in City’s heads?

There would be few bigger blows for Guardiola, should this prove to be his final season in England, than Arsenal denying City the chance to achieve an unprecedented fifth league win in a row, while ending their own title drought in the process.

However, Arteta and co. may even pile the misery on the 2022/23 Champions League winners by swooping in and snatching the services of Florian Wirtz.

It’s been suggested in the past that City are fond of the German playmaker, with some touting him as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.

After missing half of last season through injury, the Belgian’s fragilities have once again been on show this time around, with De Bruyne having sat out the last two City fixtures.

Wirtz feels like a natural replacement for De Bruyne at City, but according to reports in Germany, Arsenal are believed to be ‘fully committed’ to signing the Bayer Leverkusen ace.

It’s claimed a deal for Wirtz could cost Arsenal around £125million, but it’s money SportBILD suggest the Gunners would be willing to pay, as they look to take the next step on both the domestic and continental stage.

Winning a title and landing one of Europe’s best players wouldn’t just bring an end to City’s dominance, but also mark the changing of the guard in the Premier League.