- Arteta is not happy at the treatment of Steve Bruce before he was sacked by Newcastle
- Bruce, 60, experienced immense abuse at the helm before he was eventually sacked by the Tyneside club
- According to Arteta, the treatment of Bruce was offputting and could make managers shy away from some jobs
- Newcastle is under new ownership of a Saudi-backed consortium
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on Thursday came to a passionate defence of Steve Bruce, a day after the 60-year old was dismissed as boss of Newcastle United.
Mikel Arteta Sends Plea to Football Bosses Amid Steve Bruce Sacking
Arteta, during a press conference in the build-up to the Gunners match against Aston Villa in the Premier League, said the treatment of Steve Bruce at the Tyneside club was likely to put off managers from taking certain jobs.
Bruce, in a brutally honest interview in the wake of his sacking, laid bare as he suggested the Newcastle job might be his last.Premier League Manager Sacked by Club 13 Days After Saudi Takeover
He also claimed that during his time at Newcastle, he had been referred to as a “useless, a fat waste of space, a tactically inept cabbage head”.
Reacting to Bruce’s admission, Arteta expressed concern over the treatment of the manager, saying “it as bound to get worse over time”.
“My worry is my career is very short,” he said. “Steve has been doing it for years, over 1000 games. If he has struggles – somebody with that experience is struggling – it’s not an easy fix to that,” Arteta told Sky Sports news.
Arteta was then asked if the trend was likely to repel managers from taking jobs, to which he responded:
“I think it has already started.
“I think it’s already started in our society as well that it’s easier to take the comfort zone. The easier thing is to sit next to someone, or be in sport science or an individual coach or something like that.”
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Bruce’s final game as Newcastle boss was a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, a result that left his side languishing in 19th place.
That was Bruce’s 1000th match in charge as manager.
Newcastle talking to former Roma boss
Meanwhile, the Magpies, under their new Saudi owners, are reportedly in talks with former Roma manager Paolo Fonseca, who is the frontrunner to replace Bruce.
Fonseca was in charge of Roma for two seasons between 2019 and 2021 and guided the side to the semi finals of the Europa League last season.
He was replaced by Jose Mourinho last summer.
