Mikel Arteta has rebuilt Arsenal into a title-challenging side since he became manager in 2019, but he could not have done it without the help of one man.
When Unai Emery was sacked in November 2019, Arsenal were in crisis mode. The squad was ageing, results were dire, performances were even worse and there was chaos at boardroom level.
Less than five years later, the club is operating with an excellent recruitment structure in place, and a top-quality young squad are all tied down to long-term contracts.
Even if Arsenal fall just short of the Premier League title this season, the progress they have made is outstanding, and credit must go to both Arteta and technical director Edu Gaspar for the way they revived the failing institution they returned to.
Mikel Arteta praises Edu Gaspar for Arsenal rebuild
Both Arteta and Edu were central midfielders who won trophies with Arsenal, and both returned to the club in different stages of 2019.
Edu joined the hierarchy as a director, and Emery was dismissed soon after. The Brazilian then pushed to recruit Arteta as a manager, and an excellent partnership was born.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Arteta praised Edu for the outstanding assistance he has provided in helping build his Arsenal squad.
“Since they brought Edu, it has been an absolute right. Someone who was a player and had absurd success at the club, who knew the culture and had a clear vision of how to win,” he stated of the Brazilian.
“He changed my life because he had the courage to trust me without being a coach, such a big club and in a difficult time. It takes a lot of personality to do that.”
Edu Gaspar faith in Mikel Arteta paid off for Arsenal
Not every transfer under Edu and Arteta has paid off, with criticism directed towards Edu after the failed signing of Willian, who was represented by the same agent as the Arsenal director.
However, Arsenal’s current promising situation, as a top-level team ready to compete now and in the future, can also be put down to Edu’s faith in Arteta.
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Arteta endured a nightmare spell in both his second and third seasons at the club, and there was a lot of talk of the manager being dismissed, with Arsenal embarking on a seven-game winless run in the winter of 2020, and losing their opening three matches without scoring in the 2021-22 season.
Edu stuck by his manager, helped him recruit his targets and gave him time to build the team, when he could have saved himself from criticism by sacking Arteta, and it is clear that the Spaniard values Edu’s input highly.