Robert Pires has said one thing has made Mikel Arteta ‘one of the best managers’ in the Premier League at Arsenal.
The Basque coach has been a revelation for the Gunners since replacing Unai Emery five years ago, with Arteta taking Arsenal back to the UEFA Champions League and challenging regularly for Premier League titles.
Winning the 2020 FA Cup as well as two Community Shields, Arteta has built one of the most exciting young teams in all of Europe with a brand of football that Arsenal fans have fallen in love with in recent seasons.
And club legend Pires has now given his verdict on Arteta’s work at Arsenal.
Pires praises ‘passionate’ Arteta for ‘very good’ job as Arsenal manager
Speaking to the Guardian, the former France international lauded Arteta for all he has done at Arsenal, with Pires noting that he believes in the 41-year-old coach to bring even more success to north London.
Learning under both Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola, Arteta has had one of the best educations possible in what it takes to become a manager, and the Arsenal coach is now well on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats in the Premier League.
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Pires said: “I’m very positive and believe in Arteta. He’s a very good manager. To begin your career at Arsenal is a very tough place to start but I think he learned a lot from Arsene Wenger and especially Pep Guardiola.
“It was a very good idea to become his assistant because it has really helped his development. Now he is one of the best managers in the Premier League. He’s very passionate and sometimes a little bit stubborn, but I like that.”
Arteta could go one step further than Wenger in north London
The one trophy that Wenger never managed to bring back to Arsenal is the Champions League, a title many Arsenal fans Arteta thought had a real shot at winning earlier this season.
Whilst the former Manchester City coach crashed out at the quarter-final round, there’s a real sense of optimism around north London that Arteta can one day bring Europe’s biggest title to the Emirates Stadium.
And such an achievement would be a huge sign of validation over what Arteta has built at Arsenal, with the former club captain the perfect man to lead the Gunners into the future for many years to come.