Let's spare a moment to think of Mikel Arteta.

It looked a foregone conclusion that the former Arsenal man was going to succeed Arsene Wenger this summer, but it looks like the Manchester City coach has missed out at the last minute.

Ok, so Arteta won't be too gutted that he's returned to the Premier League-winning bench and to the side of Pep Guardiola yet it was a huge opportunity for him to launch his managerial career.

Nevertheless, it's all but confirmed that Unai Emery will inherit the reins at the Emirates Stadium.

It was revealed on Monday night by a number of sources - including Sky Sports and BBC Sports - that the former Paris Saint-Germain boss had been chosen by the Arsenal hierarchy.

Arteta misses out on Arsenal job

Just where did it all go wrong for Arteta, though?

According to an inside report from the Independent, it seems that experience was the key factor for Arsenal despite having shown such interest in a managerial novice.

The club was believed to be considering the reaction from the fanbase and feared that the appointment of Arteta would receive a backlash.

How Arteta reacted to the news

And while they considered the Spaniard's interviews to be very persuasive, they felt that Emery's enviable trophy cabinet was equally as alluring.

That's all well and good but how exactly did Arteta take the news? Did he see it coming when so many supporters didn't?

Well, according to The Times, Arteta was simply 'stunned' by the news.

That's because negotiations had gone so far with the 36-year-old that he started discussing transfer targets and backroom staff with Ivan Gazidis. 

In fact, the reports goes as far as saying that last week's talks had led Arteta to believe he was going to replace Wenger for definite.

Nevertheless, worries started to arise when the club didn't contact him over the weekend.

That's the very same weekend that Emery expressed his availability and Arsenal pounced on the opening for a more experienced manager.

This isn't the first time that eyebrows have been raised over Arsenal's methods this month with their approaches for Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry branded as 'tokenism.'

And it seems that in hindsight they went a little too far with their Arteta negotiations before carrying out a U-turn.

There's no doubt that Arteta will be gutted to miss out on the job, but he will continue to progress as a coach under the watchful eye of Guardiola.

Arsenal fans may still see their former midfielder in the hot seat one day. 

Do you think Unai Emery is the right choice for Arsenal? Have your say in the comments section below.