Carrick, Arteta and Mourinho among six disasters to avoid this summer

As we near the end of the season owners and club directors are considering major changes at their football clubs to bring about a better return in 2026/27.

Chances are most of their decisions will be disastrous; here are six big calls that should be avoided this summer.

The counterpoint to Thierry Henry’s “you have to be pragmatic sometimes” defence of Mikel Arteta is that the Spaniard’s pragmatism isn’t a ‘sometimes’ but a staple. As Martin Keown finds 427 different ways to say ‘he’s doing whatever it take to get over the line’, Arteta’s critics will question why the head-dip for the finish began midway through the season.

It’s not been pretty and may ultimately prove ineffective. As Manchester City come on strong at the back end of the Premier League season and a free-flowing behemoth will await them in the Champions League final should they get past Atletico Madrid , there’s now a very good chance that Arsenal will have nothing to show for another season of improvement.

Arteta will cop the blame for failing to win a trophy with a squad which for most of the season was hailed as the best in England, if not in Europe, and a sizeable portion of the fanbase will turn on him after watching some dire football along the way.

But guys, it’s a process. One that won’t have reaped any tangible reward in six years but would have done this season had they signed better forwards last summer and may well do if they remedy those mistakes a year on .

Arsenal must see Arteta as the reason they’re now challenging for the biggest trophies, not the reason they’ve just missed out.

We would enjoy few things more, obviously, and it really, actually, genuinely might be happening.

The Athletic’s Ornstein and Mario Cortegana – their Madrid reporter – revealed on Tuesday that Mourinho has sensationally emerged as Perez’s ‘preferred candidate’ to replace Alvaro Arbeloa this summer.

Some senior officials at the Bernabeu are ‘opposed’ to the idea of Mourinho returning as manager, but Perez has the final say, so the Portuguese icon is a ‘strong contender’.

Mourinho spent three years at the Bernabeu, winning the Spanish Cup in 2010/11 and La Liga in 2011/12. But he was arguably already on the turn during his time with Los Blancos and has won just four major trophies in the 13 years since his departure: the Premier League with Chelsea in 2014/15; the League Cup and Europa League double with Manchester United in 2016/17; the Conference League with Roma in 2021/22.

Real Madrid doesn’t feel like the natural next club after Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica in the trajectory of a manager who looked destined for the Saudi Pro League before this bombshell news.

This season was the first he’s managed in the Champions League since the 2019/20 campaign with Tottenham; he’s not got past the last 16 since the 2013/14 season when John Terry was his Chelsea captain.

Mourinho winning anything of note with Real Madrid having the makings of one of the most astonishing comeback stories in football history should serve as a warning to Perez about a truly ludicrous idea.

On the long list of problems at Chelsea, very near the top alongside BlueCo and the appointment of absurdly under-qualified managers is the great lack of experience in the squad.

A model which hamstrings Chelsea managers into working with a new group of children each season has resulted in a lack of leadership required to lift them from the doldrums.

Liverpool are losing both Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson this summer after Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz left at the end of last season, and manager Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes should be be mindful of Alisson Becker amid reports claiming he’s nearing an agreement with Juventus .

Aside from Giorgi Mamardashvili’s ability to take his place on a full-time basis (he’s not been wholly convincing as his understudy), Alisson’s exit would leave Virgil van Dijk as the last remaining member of the old guard from the peak Jurgen Klopp years.

And who else would be viewed as a leader in that squad? Dominik Szoboszlai jumps out as a vocal contributor, but they look like a timid, innocuous bunch with a tendency to shrink under pressure without big voices to shout them out of a funk.

They’re heading back into the Champions League, top of the league since he joined, the players all love him and are playing fun football, Kobbie Mainoo’s smiling, Bruno Fernandes is a genius. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but this is not how elite football clubs play football.

They don’t know how to press properly, the defence can’t hold a high line and almost all of their goals come on the counter-attack or through a piece of Fernandes brilliance; often both.

Credit is due, of course it is, but handing a caretaker manager the reins at one of the biggest clubs in world football because he’s playing a midfielder who obviously should have been playing all along, has moved arguably the world’s best No.10 into the No.10 position and has done a job in improving the mood from an all-time low under his predecessor would be a huge risk.

As would appointing someone else after the job Carrick’s done – we get that. Giving him a contract is the safe option for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS. No fan is going to complain; most would suggest he’s given them little option but to give him the job.

Carrick turning out to be a disaster would not be on them anywhere near as much as if an outside appointment flopped at Old Trafford. We refuse to accept that there aren’t several alternatives that could do a much better job.

The problem, of course, is choosing the right person. But a good first step would be identifying a manager who can get their team playing a style of football befitting a club of Manchester United’s size. On the evidence of Monday night, Keith Andrews would be a better bet .

“He’s one of the best in the world in those moments, and thankfully for as he delivered today,” said Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane after Sanchez pulled off a couple of quality saves to deny Leeds and help the Blues into the FA Cup final .

The Spaniard was similarly praised by opposition manager Daniel Farke and by pundits for what was indeed a very good performance, and not particularly unusual with regard to his shot-stopping. He has excellent reactions and those big moments have never been his problem.

“That’s Rob Sanchez at his best,” McFarlane added, clearly aware as we all are of just how damaging Sanchez can be at his worst.

Never has there been a goalkeeper who exudes such unjustified composure with the ball at his feet.

Chelsea mustn’t be duped by the full-length dives, outstretched legs and strong wrists. Sanchez always looks the part but a baffling error is always coming and while this call may seem to pale in comparison to others on this list, a decent goalkeeper would have made a massive difference to Chelsea this season and will do whenever BlueCo decide to spend a proportionate amount of money on arguably the most important position in the team.

Newcastle’s Public Investment Fund owners have been surprisingly reserved in their stewardship of the club to date. Partly down to stringent financial fair play rules, we’re yet to see a team featuring Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Mohamed Salah as those early ‘What Newcastle could look like under PIF’ combined XIs had us believe could be the case.

They’ve also so far resisted the temptation to get rid of very good but not hugely well-renowned manager in Eddie Howe. That’s not been too difficult to date as he’s worked wonders, lifting the from a relegation scrap into the Champions League and winning their first trophy in 70 years.

Harrowing form in the second half of this season , which may yet draw them into relegation battle, will test their resolve and there’s a good chance Howe will be sent packing. It’s all gone a bit stale at St James’ Park and a change feels like a good idea for all parties.

There have been suggestions that PIF should plump for a big-name manager amid not unreasonable claims that Howe may not have been able to attract the most elite footballers around.

But a lack of European football and one trophy in 70 years will continue to make that a difficult task if they attract a Mourinho or a Roberto Mancini to the North East , and those managers bring the danger of ruffling feathers through demands the owners can’t meet with their hands tied by FFP and what may well be a style of football unsuited to a Premier League that’s changed drastically since they achieved success in the English top flight.