Work of Art
Gunners legend: Mikel is first right manager we’ve had since Wenger... he’s made a great start, but must bring on the kids
MIKel ARTeTA is the perfect man to be leading the Arsenal revolution.
That is the message from Highbury legend Bob Wilson with the new 2020-21 campaign under three weeks away.
With a recordextending 14th FA Cup success last month, the Gunners’ rookie Spanish boss has already shown himself more than capable in the dugout.
But with the transfer window open and new faces starting to arrive, Wilson’s fear is that new recruits such as Chelsea free signing Willian could stif le the progress of young talents and lead to an exodus.
You need only watch the feats of Bayern Munich hitman Serge Gnabr y in the Champions League to understand why Wilson is worried for his beloved north Londoners.
Gnabry, 25, could have still been with Arsenal had his path to the first team not been b l o c ked by experienced names.
Former Gunners keeper and 1971 Double winner Wilson (above) said: “We’ve had two big lifts recently.
“Firstly, we finally have the right manager for the first time since Arsene
Wenger. Mikel’s done his apprenticeship under Pep Guardiola and, as we saw in the Cup semis and final, tactically he’s excellent.
“Then we have the boost of winning the FA Cup. There’s still a degree of me that can’t believe we beat Manchester
City and
Chelsea – a n d
Liverpool in the league – in two weeks.
“But, at the same time, I worry that, having signed
Wi l l i an, who’s a top player, and try to buy Brazi li an defender Gabriel , then what happens to our younger players?
“We have amazing talent – Gabriel Martinelli, Bakayo Saka, Ainsley Maitland- Niles, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and more. My concern is they, or rather their agents, will see the incomings and start demanding bigger contracts and more money or say ay they’re leaving.
“Look at
Gnabry. What a brilliant player he’s become since leaving us.
“It’s about getting the right balance because we don’t want to lose this generation coming through.” If anyone can han
dle a
delicate situation, it is 38-year-old Arteta, claims Wilson.
The former Scotland keeper is hugely impressed with Arteta’s style since succeeding c a retaker Fredd i e
Ljungberg last December after Unai Emery’s sac sacking. Ljungberg y yesterday left the club to ‘progress his managerial career’.
Arsenal finished th the season strongly, but with trips to Liverpool and City among their first six Premier League fixtures, keeping the high of Wembley three weeks ago won’t be straightforward.
Wilson ( above), 78, added: “We have this momentum and it’s only a short break – so that should help. If we can get 13 or 14 points from these six games, it would be incredible and underline that we are moving in the
right
direction.
“We’ l l learn a lot from this period. “What I like about Mikel is the players listen to him. He looks into their eyes and demands attention. He has authority and they trust and respect him. “He’s got a huge job to do at a huge club but is capable of doing it.”
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‘We have amazing talent. My concern is they, or rather their agents, will see those coming in and demand better contracts’