Within hours of Ljungberg telling the board “a decision has to be made”, the man in charge of the process Vinai Venkatesham was jetting to Manchester to meet with the preferred candidate.
The fact he took contract lawyer Huss Fahmy with him suggested this was no mere interview. Provided they could persuade Arteta to dip his toe into a head coach’s role.
In the Emirates reception area after the game, City’s star player Kevin De Bruyne had told reporters that Arteta was becoming too big to be a No 2 for long.
“He came here three years ago, and had to find his way a little bit, because to transition from player to coach is a little bit different,” De Bruyne said.
“He is finding his role really, really good right now. He’s helping the team in the way he thinks he can help, and is doing a good job.