"I was assistant to Pep Guardiola at Man City, every time we played against Arsenal, the team played without soul, without passion and without any excitement. I knew that the option to come back soon had to come and reconnect with the Arsenal fans. This was very clear to me," said coach Mikel Arteta.
Coach Mikel Arteta has restored Arsenal's identity and brought hope to 'Gunners' fans
"I drew a tree and its roots, and I said that's our problem. We have to fix all that, and fix it with the people involved. Without that, there's no fun for the fans.
Now I feel happy, we have a clear identity, we have unity and we are full of energy. That is the best thing. From top to bottom, everyone is pushing in the same direction. We give the fans something to dream about and be proud of. And now we have to win more," said coach Mikel Arteta.
Coach Mikel Arteta spent a long time playing for Arsenal under the famous coach Arsene Wenger. After retiring at the end of the 2015-2016 season, he immediately became an assistant to coach Pep Guardiola at Man City. In the middle of the 2019-2020 season, facing the decline of the "Gunners" with coach Unai Emery being fired, Mikel Arteta decided to return to rescue his old club. The presence of this famous former coach helped the Emirates team to recover, winning the FA Cup and saving the season of only ranking 8th in the Premier League.
Coach Mikel Arteta's faith and talent have helped revive Arsenal after a period of decline.
In the next 3 seasons, despite facing a lot of pressure, coach Mikel Arteta still steadfastly rebuilt Arsenal step by step and had a very impressive 2022 - 2023 season. The "Gunners" topped the Premier League for almost the entire season before running out of steam in the last 3 rounds and letting Man City overtake them to win the championship.
"The important thing is that Arsenal have restored their identity. The fans now have something to hope for. We are also back in the Champions League for the first time in 7 years. Arsenal will continue to aim for new things next season. We are participating in the transfer market. I am not talking about players from other clubs. But I can talk a little about Kai Havertz, he is a player who has shown many impressive qualities. He is young (24 years old), versatile and also has experience in the Champions League (winning with Chelsea)", coach Mikel Arteta shared.
Kai Havertz (left) has reached all agreements to prepare to join Arsenal
Arsenal are also closely pursuing midfielder Declan Rice.
Kai Havertz (priced at £60m) is currently in the final stages of negotiations to move from Chelsea to Arsenal. In addition, Arsenal are also closely pursuing West Ham midfielder Declan Rice with a transfer offer of up to £90m, amid fierce competition from Man City.
Mikel Arteta's talk about Kai Havertz suggests the deal is done, while avoiding talking about Declan Rice as negotiations are still ongoing. However, with Kai Havertz, Arsenal will have a very significant addition to their attack alongside names like Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka who have been impressive last season.
Coach Mikel Arteta also revealed that he often talks to coach Pep Guardiola: "We have a very good and strong relationship. We are friends who call each other every 3-4 days. But when we are on the two sides, we just want to win for our team. We are only focused on winning and are very competitive. When we are in the ring, we are very focused. But then, the next day we will call each other and be ready to give each other a warm hug. That will never go away."
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