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“I think he just continues to dominate. I do,” Theo Walcott said. He is talking about Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team. The Gunners ended their wait for the trophy with just days left. Now, there’s a sense that they’re on the cusp of something bigger.
Paris beat Saint-Germain and Arteta in the Champions League final in Budapest to elevate themselves to another level entirely. Only Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola have lifted that special trophy And Premier League trophy with English club.
Not so long ago the focus wasn’t on how he would be received if he fell short. But perceptions of Arsenal – and Arteta – are being reshaped in real time. They are a game away from what even Bertie Mee, George Graham and Arsene Wenger never did.
Arteta has even been sponsored for this Champions League final. Luis Enrique will claim that calling him ‘Michelito’ was an innocent reference to an old teammate but it’s telling. The subtle message from the PSG boss was that he is still his junior.
Arteta never broke into Barcelona’s first team. Unlike his own players, and the man in the opposite dugout with his 62 caps on Saturday, he has not become a senior international. But Guardiola is defeated. Luis Enrique could now go the same way.
In Hungary, there is a growing confidence. At the Fan Festival in Heroes Square, Arsenal fans sing the set piece. A youngster is invited by the hosts to give a prediction and Gabriel heads for a header to put Arsenal 1-0 up. They believe in what Arteta does at Arsenal.
It has been a journey to change that mindset. “He really changed the whole culture of the club,” said Walcott And he understands better than most. Twenty years have passed since signing for Arsenal as a teenager. He saw how things had changed there.
In 2006, Arsenal were a force, losing to Barcelona in that year’s Champions League final. By the time he left in 2018, they no longer qualified for the competition. The road back to the top table of European football has been long and painful.
Arteta had back-to-back eighth-place finishes in his first two seasons. “A lot of managers don’t get that time, they don’t get that energy, they don’t get that support. But the club had that patience.” And Arteta’s work has earned that patience.
Walcott is speaking Sky Sports Fresh from playing a five-a-side game at the Fan Festival in Budapest’s Heroes Square. Arsenal fans there are enjoying his presence, especially when he mimics Victor Giocares’ celebration after scoring a goal. On the mic, he speaks and plays to the crowd when Not if Arsenal win.
Walcott and Arteta were teammates for five years from 2011 to 2016. “That was his work ethic. He set the example, and he was always so strict about habits, good habits. And sometimes, when players didn’t want to do something, he would make sure you did it.”
That explains why former teammates trust him. You’ve probably seen footage of Tim Cahill defending Arteta Sky Sports In 2020, points to the processes Arsenal are putting in place, while Roy Keane could not look past a poor result.
Cahill, who played alongside Arteta at Everton, was able to appreciate what he was creating even when some Arsenal supporters couldn’t see it. What Walcott calls “good habits” have taken root and now, finally, they’re feeling the rewards.
“As a person, he’s very intense,” Walcott explains. “I always felt when he came to the club, this was a man who was going to be a captain. But not only that, I think he held his own. He was always a man you wanted to listen to.”
Importantly, the bond is forged. “He relates to the players. That connection, with the person rather than the player, that helps. It really does. He gets those connections. When I go to the training ground, it’s very positive when you walk in.”
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Arteta speaks after being named Premier League Manager of the Season
There is another side to him, Walcott insists. Arteta told the story of how when he found out his team were Premier League champions, his family rushed outside to tell him because he couldn’t watch Manchester City’s game against Bournemouth.
“He can switch off sometimes. I was lucky enough to go on vacation and he was there, and he was having a great time playing soccer with the kids.” Maybe that will be Arteta this summer very soon, the season reflects this season. But before that, immortality awaits.
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