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Mikel Arteta’s time as Arsenal manager has been rated good by one of the club’s successful managers – George Graham.
THE LOWDOWN: MIXED FEELING
Mikel Arteta became Arsenal manager in 2019, replacing interim gaffer Freddie Ljungberg, who took over as interim head coach following Unai Emery’s sacking at the end of November in that year. The Spaniard left his role as Manchester City assistant manager to take charge of his first job at the Emirates.
Since his appointment, Arsenal have won the FA Cup, and won the Community Shield in some of the good times under his tutelage. However, the club missed out on any European competition last term and have not made the top four since then.
In his third campaign and after a spending spree in the last couple of windows, Arteta and Arsenal fans are hoping for something better by the end of May next year.
THE LATEST: OPEN ENDORSEMENT
In an exclusive interview with the New Journal, Graham said of Arteta’s time at Arsenal.
“I think Arteta has done a very good job since he’s come to the club. It was at a transition period.”
“He’s bringing a certain philosophy to the club which he learned under [Pep] Guardiola at Manchester City – some of the possession play is really fantastic. It’s great to watch, I love watching it.”
“Unfortunately, they just missed out on the top four last season but I really like the way they play.”
“I hope they do well this season. I want them to qualify for the Champions League. The only problem is the standard is so high. Liverpool, Manchester City and even Chelsea are top, top teams and Arsenal have got to compete with them, which I’m sure they will.”
George Graham knows a lot about management and is one of English football’s most successful managers. His name is forged in the Gunners’ history, having won two league titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup during his nine-year reign at Arsenal.
Graham added: “The youngsters have been outstanding. Arsenal have always been famous for bringing in young players and have always been renowned for having a great youth policy. It’s a credit not only to the people at the club who run the youth set-up but for the club as a whole.
“They like to introduce their own young players and at the moment the club has a lot of talent in the youth that are doing well in the first-team.”
THE VERDICT: MORE RESULTS
The investment in terms of signings made last year amounted to around £150 million. Now it is closer to £120m, with Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Oleksandr Zinchenko the most prominent additions.
Arsenal have done well in pre-season once again and the season has started on a positive note, following the win at Palace. In the end, Arteta is expected to deliver at least a top-four finish, while anything shy of that will be a bad season for the Gunners.
