Arsenal landed on a gem when they offered their vacant managerial role to a novice coach in Mikel Arteta in 2019, and they are now reaping the rewards.
Arteta has helped revive a sleeping giant in Arsenal, having inherited a mess when he took on his first job as a head coach, after three years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City.
Arsenal now have one of the biggest coaching talents in world football on their hands, but this may not have been possible if he had never joined the club as a player in 2011.
Arsene Wenger was desperate for a midfield replacement for Cesc Fabregas, who had just joined Barcelona, and fresh from an 8-2 defeat at Manchester United, Arsenal brought in a few panic buys in the final days of the transfer window.
Two of them have proven to be incredible purchases, as Arteta is now manager and Per Mertesacker is the head of the academy, with both players lifting trophies during their time at the club.
Arteta has now opened up on the mess he walked into as a player at Arsenal, entering a fractured dressing room and helping lift the mood alongside Mertesacker.
Mikel Arteta reveals what Arsenal dressing room was like when he joined in 2011
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Arteta revealed how shocked he was at the mood at the club when he first joined Arsenal.
“I was shocked. I was coming from a very different changing room, there was a lot going on,” he stated.
“It was the start of the season before I joined, us three players in the last hour of the transfer window, with (Per) Mertesacker, (Yossi) Benayoun and myself.
“We go there and were beat 8-2 at Old Trafford. Ours was the next game, we go there, half time it was 0-0 at Swansea, and it was a church.
“I said ‘guys what’s happening here?’ I started to talk and got everybody connected.
“I was so excited – this was Arsenal Football Club, it was a dream for me. I admire Arsene (Wenger) so much, and what they did, the way of playing, what the club transmitted already was my dream. If I had to pick a club it was Arsenal for sure in in England.”
Mikel Arteta’s impact in his first season at Arsenal
Arteta was often underrated as a player, and he had a strong first season at Arsenal despite walking into a mess, and having to replace a player as important as Fabregas.
Andrei Arshavin scored the winner as Arsenal beat Swansea on Arteta’s debut, but it took some time for the new signings to gel, as they would go on to lose to Blackburn and Tottenham Hotspur in that month.
However, a run of eight wins in 10 Premier League games followed, and Arsenal were able to put together some form to finish in third place by the end of the season.
Arteta himself had a strong campaign in an advanced midfield role, scoring six times and providing two assists, which included a late winner against Manchester City.
He would later drop into a defensive midfield role after the departure of Alex Song, and this was perhaps an early sign that he was destined to become a top coach, as he seamlessly transitioned to a more difficult role late on in his career.
