Improvement in relations between Arsenal players and fans delights Mikel Arteta

The rebuilding of relations between the Arsenal players and the fans pleases Mikel Arteta.

Mikel Arteta has expressed his delight at the mending relationship between Arsenal players and their fans after their supporters lauded the players in their game against Chelsea.

When Arteta took over from Unai Emery permanently, there was obvious friction between the fans and the players and the relationship had reached a toxic level with Granit Xhaka falling out with them publicly.

However, Arteta has brought about an improvement in the mood around the club and he was delighted to see the fans give his players a standing ovation against Chelsea.

The ovation was well deserved as ten-man Arsenal came from behind twice to take a 2-2 draw away from Stamford Bridge.

Afterwards, Arteta insisted that one of the things he wanted to achieve as Arsenal’s manager was to unify the fans and the players and he is happy to see the progress being made in that area.

‘There were a lot of things that I wanted to implement,’ said the Arsenal boss. ‘Not just towards the players but around the club in terms of the culture, and I’m seeing very good signs in progress.

‘One of the important things is creating that connection again with the fans. There are people who have been here for a long time and hadn’t seen the fans react and support the team how they did against Chelsea.

‘It was incredible and in some stages, it was like we were playing at home. The amount of support they gave was incredible in difficult circumstances and I’m so proud that they’re feeling a little bit closer to the team now.’