Arsenal were interested in Pochettino before turning to Arteta

It has been revealed that Arsenal did try to appoint Mauricio Pochettino following his departure from Tottenham.

The Athletic, as cited on the Express, claims that Arsenal were interested in a possible move to bring in the 47-year-old.

However, after spending five years at Tottenham, they concluded that a deal would be too difficult to complete.

Pochettino has previously played down his chances of ever managing Arsenal given his Spurs connections.

Read Arsenal verdict

It was always going to be difficult for Arsenal to appoint Pochettino, especially when he had left Spurs so suddenly.

If the timing had been different and Pochettino had left Spurs in the summer or even earlier in the campaign, things might have been different – but that simply wasn’t the case.

To some extent, Arsenal have had their hands forced. At a time where it looked like they would hold out until the summer to appoint a new manager, you get the impression that they have been rushed into bringing in Arteta as the club continue to struggle after Emery’s sacking.