- Mikel Arteta came close to being appointed manager of Newcastle United in the summer of 2019 while working as a coach at Manchester City.
- Then-Newcastle owner Mike Ashley offered Arteta an extraordinarily long contract in an effort to convince him to take over at St James' Park.
- Arteta turned down the offer due to concerns surrounding squad depth, fan hostility towards Ashley and issues assembling his preferred coaching staff.
- The Spaniard subsequently took charge of Arsenal in December 2019, later leading the Gunners to FA Cup and Premier League glory.
- Newcastle instead appointed Steve Bruce as manager before the club was taken over in October 2021, eventually leading to the hiring of Eddie Howe.
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