Although Arteta has yet to secure a Premier League title with Arsenal, he has undeniably reversed their decline, positioning them as strong contenders against Manchester City for two consecutive seasons. Theo Walcott, a former teammate, recounted an incident under Wenger that showcased Arteta’s potential as a future top manager.
Speaking on William Hill’s Up Front with Simon Jordan, Walcott shared: “The turning point for me in terms of how I viewed Mikel Arteta was an experience I had with him as a player at Arsenal.”
“It was at a time when we weren’t making the top four. We had training in 30 minutes and he locked all the players in the dressing room as if he was the manager. He was taking control of the whole space and telling us how it is. In that moment it was like he was the manager, and that was the turning point for me. That’s when I thought he could go on to be a manager.”
“Arsene Wenger was waiting for us to come outside for training but we weren’t coming out because Mikel stopped the training session. He was such a strong character that even Arsene was afraid of him.”
Arteta took over as Arsenal manager in winter 2019 after leaving his role as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. He succeeded Unai Emery, who struggled to make an impact during his tenure at the Emirates Stadium. Under Arteta’s leadership, Arsenal won the 2019-20 FA Cup and the subsequent FA Community Shield.
The diligent Spaniard is likely preparing rigorously for the upcoming season, aiming to lead his young team to another title challenge and, hopefully, a Premier League victory.
Arsenal performance and stats
Arsenal is currently 2nd in the Premier League with 86 points.
In the last 38 games, it has won 28 times, drawn 5 times, and lost 5 times. In its last match, Arsenal won 2-1 against Everton.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 89 goals and conceding 28.
