ARSENAL legend Theo Walcott has revealed that Arsene Wenger used to be “afraid” of Mikel Arteta back in their playing days.
Walcott and the current Gunners boss starred under the Frenchman together from 2011-2016.
Even during his playing days, Arteta showed signs he would go on to possess a career in management.
The England icon recalled a time Arteta locked the Arsenal team in the dressing room and stopped a training session during his time as a player, claiming that Wenger was scared of the Spaniard.
Speaking on William Hill’s Up Front Walcott said: “The turning point for me in terms of how I viewed Mikel Arteta was an experience I had with him as a player at Arsenal.
“It was at a time when we weren’t making the top four. We had training in 30 minutes and he locked all the players in the dressing room, as if he was the manager.
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“He was taking control of the whole space and telling us how it is. In that moment it was like he was the manager, and that was the turning point for me.
“That’s when I thought he could go on to be a manager.
“Arsène Wenger was waiting for us to come outside for training but we weren’t coming out because Mikel stopped the training session.
“He was such a strong character that even Arsène was afraid of him.”
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Arteta played for the Gunners up until 2016 making over 110 appearances for the club.
The Spaniard won two FA Cups and served as captain from 2014 until his retirement in 2016.
In 2019, he returned to Arsenal as head coach and won the FA Cup in his first year.
The following season saw his title changed to manager to reflect his broader remit at the club.
And this season he nearly ended the Gunners trophy drought after they finished second in the league to Manchester City.
Despite not securing the title his efforts did not go unrecognised as he won the Globe Soccer Awards Best Premier League Coach for 2023–24 term.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
