Arsenal icon Santi Cazorla has been linked with a return to the Emirates in a coaching capacity under Mikel Arteta. The duo had played alongside one another in their playing days with the Gunners, and have taken different paths since.
Arteta went on to retire in 2016, spending time earning his coaching badges and eventually working under Pep Guardiola as an assistant coach at Manchester City. The Spaniard was then named the new Arsenal manager in 2019, with his shining achievement being an FA Cup triumph along with the plethora of youth talent he has brought to the first-team.
As for Cazorla, he left the Gunners in 2018 for a return to Villarreal before moving to Qatar with Al-Sadd SC. With his contract expiring in the summer, there were links surrounding a move to the coaching side at the Emirates, which he addressed himself.
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In an interview with AS back in 2021, he said: “Mikel was very important when I came to Arsenal. I did not speak the language and he was the only Spanish. He helped me a lot, both he and his family.
“We were two students of football, we watched games and he already had that coaching gene. It is something that I would value tomorrow, now I am not considering it.
“If I am given the opportunity and he believes that I can help him, it is something that I would not mind and would leave the door open to enjoy that experience with him. But there is nothing for today, it will be seen.”
However, that move is not set to happen this summer, as the 37-year-old has officially penned a new one-year deal with Al-Sadd. This will extend his playing career further, but it remains to be seen what his plans are for afterwards.
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