Mikel Arteta was due to meet Arsenal director Josh Kroenke, the son of owner Stan, on Monday evening for his final interview to become Arsenal’s new head coach. Although Manchester City will not stand in their assistant manager’s way there is bemusement at the club at the way Arsenal have conducted talks with Arteta.

City will demand compensation, with 18 months left on Arteta’s contract, after being told that Arsenal want him now rather than waiting until the end of a season that is badly unravelling.

Arsenal lost 3-0 on Sunday to City at the Emirates Stadium which means it is only one win in 12 matches for them in all competitions. What has annoyed City is that all the senior executives from both clubs, including Josh Kroenke, were at the stadium and yet Arsenal did not take the opportunity to talk about Arteta.

City are particularly unhappy because they have made it known that they would not stand in the way of Arteta, who they do not blame, should he be given the chance to further his career and fulfil his ambition to become a manager.

Instead two senior Arsenal officials – managing director Vinai Venketesham and Huss Fahmy, director of football operations – drove to Arteta’s home in Manchester for talks which ended at 1.20am on Monday with photographs later emerging of the pair leaving.