Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas spoke to The Guardian about Mikel Arteta’s tenure as Gunners boss.
Arteta has been at the helm since December last year and has done a decent job. The Spaniard has steadied the ship to a certain extent but there is more to come in the final few games of the season.
The Arsenal boss is quite late to the party of former players taking over clubs as their managers. Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have done well this season but Fabregas feels that Arteta has a much harder job in hand.
He said: “Chelsea took a gamble with Frank because it was only his second year as a main coach and he’s done very well. With Mikel, it’s a little bit of the same. He’s been with Pep for three years, and I’m sure he’s like a master for any young coach that wants to start being a manager.”
“I think he’s done well [so far] and I’m sure he’s brought back some values to the club that was needed.”
“Obviously it’s a much harder job than Chelsea in terms of rebuilding the squad, and they are very young, and they had problems because [Arteta] started much further down the line than Chelsea, but I’m positive that they will pick up very soon and that next season could be the one for them.”
Arteta could have a lot of problems next season
Arteta certainly has had a tougher task in hand. The Spaniard came in mid-season and had very little time to get his ideas across to the players.
The Gunners have looked considerably better under Arteta than they did under Unai Emery. However, Chelsea are in a much superior position under Lampard, and the Englishman is set to have a lot more firepower at his disposal next season.
The Blues signed Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and it looks like they will sign RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner as well. That bolsters their attack massively but Arteta is unlikely to have the same kind of backing from Arsenal’s board.
The Gunners are reportedly looking at bargain deals due to the current financial climate. (Mirror) That could also have an impact on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future at the club which could cause more problems to Arteta ahead of next season.
The Gunners are currently ninth in the Premier League, nine points behind the Champions League places. They will have to go on a remarkable run from now until the end of the season to get anywhere near Chelsea, who are the favourites for the fourth spot at the moment.
Arteta will have to work his magic on the squad from the get go as he leads his side to the Etihad on Wednesday to face his former side, Manchester City.
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