Lee Dixon is full of praise for Mikel Arteta as the Spaniard rebuilds Arsenal by giving chances to youngsters at the club.
The Premier League is one of the toughest competitions in the world and sometimes having a lot of experienced players can help.
Arsenal has focused on reducing the average age of their players in recent transfer windows with the likes of Willian, David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos leaving the Emirates.
Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are much younger players and have been leading the club’s revival in this campaign.
It is a gamble by Arteta, but it seems to be paying off and former Arsenal star, Dixon believes Arteta has single-handedly made Arsenal a much better club.
‘It has got to be up there,’ Arsenal legend Lee Dixon tells Sportsmail. ‘I think great credit has to go to Arteta for giving these players opportunities.
‘It is a gamble. Not many clubs go down the route of signing players under 23 years of age when you have youngsters coming through at the same time.
‘They are a very, very young side and with that comes the risk of inconsistency, which we have seen from other teams but also this side this season. You have to take that on the chin because that is what you get.’
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Arteta took a major gamble to trust these young players, and it seemed he would lose his job when Arsenal started this campaign poorly.
However, they have since turned their form around and could end it inside the top four.
Although this is his first job as a senior manager, Arteta has displayed great managerial skills and impressive judgement.
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