Mikel Arteta was teammates with Nacho Monreal after the latter arrived at Arsenal in 2013. The current Real Sociedad defender has now given an insight into the mind of the Arsenal manager.
Arteta looks like a quiet individual who thrives on diplomacy, but he showed recently that he can also be ruthless after flogging the likes of Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi.
Monreal knew all along that the Arsenal gaffer is someone who knows what he wants and always goes for it.
He claimed that during Arteta’s playing days, he corrected everyone on the pitch and knew exactly where they were supposed to be.
Monreal further stated that Arteta always had the drive to become a manager and told those around him before hanging up his boots.
“He is a very direct guy, who knows what he wants,” Monreal says to The Telegraph.
“He understood the game, he corrected his teammates, regardless of his position on the field. He knew where each one had to be. He is a leader, he knows how to transmit, reach the footballer. And he always told us that he wanted to be a coach.”
The Spaniard won the FA Cup in his first half-season at the club and has now gotten rid of the players he doesn’t want.
After reshaping his team, Arsenal fans will expect him to deliver success to the Emirates.