ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta has taken a dig at the old regime – claiming he could see the club has become “soulless” while he was at Manchester City.
The Spaniard nearly guided the Gunners to the title last season, only for them to lose out to Pep Guardiola’s side in the final weeks of the campaign.
Arsenal led the race throughout but City clinched the Premier League on route to their Treble by five points.
Arteta has been praised for turning the club around and Champions League football will be back at the Emirates for the first time in seven years next season.
The 41-year-old previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant at Man City from 2016 to 2019 and he played for Arsenal from 2011 to 2016.
He believes the club drifted away from its values before he took to the helm.
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Arsenal had gone through three managers in 18 months with Arsene Wenger quitting before Unai Emery was axed for interim Freddie Ljungberg.
And the club was in turmoil after six league finishes outside the top four.
Arteta told Marca: “I was Pep’s assistant at City, we were playing Arsenal and I saw that the soul of the club had been lost.
“There was no enjoyment, no feeling.
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“I knew there was the option of soon being in the other dugout and I knew we had to connect the team and the fans.
“It was very clear to me. I drew a tree and its roots, and I said that the problem was ours.
“We had to cure all that, and cure it with people who were involved. Without that, there would be no fun for the fans.
“Now I feel happy, we have a clear identity, there is unity and we are full of energy.
“That’s the greatest 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.”
Arteta has been heavily influenced by Guardiola and despite battling it out for the title, they remain friends.
He said: “[Our relationship is] very good, three days ago I spoke to Pep.
“But we are both focused on winning and are very competitive. When we are in the ring, we are very focused.
“But we are confident enough for that to happen and the next day to call each other and give him a hug. That’s never going to go away.”
Arsenal will look to strengthen their squad and are keen on the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz.
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On potentially signing the German for £65million from Chelsea, he said: “Kai has already shown a lot, including winning a Champions League. He is a talented, versatile player and only 24-years-old.
“Talent has a price and, at Arsenal, we are always interested in young players with experience.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
