The new boss can freshen us all up

HENRIKH Mkhitaryan hopes new Arsenal boss Unai Emery will bring some fresh “tactical ideas and spirit” to the club.

Attacking midfielder Mkhitaryan joined the Gunners from Manchester United in January as part of the deal that saw Alexis Sanchez go to United.

Now the Armenian feels Emery, who left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season having won the French domestic treble, can make a real impact at the Emirates Stadium having taken over from Arsene Wenger.

“I still haven’t had an opportunity to meet him. We didn’t have time to talk with each other. I hope he will bring new tactical ideas and spirit to Arsenal, and I hope he will succeed,” said Mkhitaryan.

“I haven’t talked to my team-mates about him. Everyone at the club is a professional. Everyone knows what he should do and what he is expected to do.”

Mkhitaryan admits it will be a different club he heads back to for the start of pre-season training, with Wenger having been in charge for so long.

“Not only the players, but the staff overall were sad. It’s not that easy to handle the exit of a man who was managing the team for 22 years,” he added. “You can’t imagine how everyone was amazed with the atmosphere he had created. If he decided to stay for 10 more years, no one would have been against it.”

Mkhitaryan feels Emery’s Arsenal must target a swift return to Europe’s football elite.

“Our priority [last season] was qualification for Champions League, but unfortunately we didn’t manage that,” he said.

“We wanted to do it and we fought for it, but everything can happen in football, so we should focus on next season and a return to the Champions League.”