Mikel Arteta has admitted that he had ‘no clue’ if the partnership between Gabriel Magalhães and Ben White at Arsenal would work, as posted on Hayters TV.
The Arsenal boss made it clear that when he signed White from Brighton in the summer, ‘his qualities were clear’ and they were what the club needed, but he didn’t know how he would gel with Gabriel.
Whilst the ball-carrying duo didn’t play together from the off because of injuries when they did get their partnership going, it worked an absolute treat.
The Gunners were sitting bottom of the Premier League table and they were in a heap of mess.
But, along with other factors, one big reason behind their turnaround was, and still is, the performances of their hard-hitting duo at the heart of the defence.
Arteta spoke about their partnership and not knowing what was going to happen when he decided to pit their defensive wits together.
“I had no clue,” said Arteta. “In terms of the quality, I saw in him (Ben White), what is required for us to try and recruit someone like him with his qualities was clear.
“But then those personalities have to collide. That chemistry has to exist. Of course, this is a coin in the air.
“But we are lucky that they really enjoy playing together. You can see the chemistry is there and that’s a massive extra when you are looking to build something in your backline.”
Both White and Gabriel aren’t the only ones working well in north London because Aaron Ramsdale, in between the sticks, is doing equally as good.
The words ‘trust the process’ have been thrown about quite a lot during Arteta’s reign at the club.
On some occasions, it’s believable and the changes are there for all to see, but there are also periods when Arsenal showcase the side that results in fans questioning Arteta.
Either way, there is a clear idea of the road he is trying to go down and it’s pretty clear that more patience is needed.
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