Pep Guardiola gifts Arsenal another defender because Arteta is “a friend”

Arsenal have really reaped the rewards of Manchester City’s hard work this season. Although they were beaten to the finish line, three Manchester City products were key to improving Arsenal – Mikel Arteta being the main one, alongside two of his signings Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus who really improved the team.

There is talk that Arsenal could sign more Manchester City products this summer. They are interested in the free agent Ilkay Gundogan and the defender who is set to return from loan looking for a new destination, Joao Cancelo. More on those two potential signings below.

But, what does Pep Guardiola have to say about this? Surely he won’t sit around and let his players join their main league rivals, right? Wrong.

According to trusted journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Pep Guardiola will not say no to Joao Cancelo joining Arsenal. He trusts himself and his team to deal with Cancelo’s departure. Furthermore, he would not say no to Mikel Arteta since he considers the Spaniard his friend from their time together at Manchester City. It’s a weird relationship since the two are friends outside of football but in football, they are rivals.

Arsenal will face competition from Barcelona for the signing of Joao Cancelo. However, the Catalan club’s horrendous financial situation means that the Gunners remain the front-runners to sign Cancelo.

Although people may think Cancelo has disciplinary issues, Pep Guardiola is quite the personality. When two big personalities clash within football, it’s very rare that a good outcome is reached. Therefore, Arteta will have an easier time at coaching and disciplining Cancelo.

When he played for Manchester City at the start of the season, Cancelo was one of the best defenders in the league. Playing as either a full-back or a centre-back, it’s his versatility and tenacity which draws Arteta to him.

Do you think Arsenal will sign Joao Cancelo?