London (AFP)
Former Arsenal Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta has been named the Gunners' coach to replace Freddie Ljungberg who has been acting since the dismissal of Unai Emery in late November, the London club announced on Friday.
"Welcome back, Mikel!" (Welcome back, Mikel!) Wrote the red and white club to their Twitter account to confirm that their former 37-year-old captain will be given the tough task of reviving a sticky club in 10th place in the Premier League, with 22 points in 17 days.
After being trained at Barça, then wearing the jerseys of PSG, Glasgow Rangers or Everton, Arteta had played nearly 150 matches with Arsenal from 2011 to 2016, notably winning two English Cups.
When he retired as a player three and a half years ago, he became Pep Guardiola's assistant in Manchester City.
"It is an immense honor. Arsenal and one of the biggest clubs in the world. We want to be competitive to win the biggest trophies, this was very clearly explained to me during my talks with the club's management", commented Arteta, cited in the press release.
The Basque had almost been chosen to replace Arsène Wenger when he left 18 months ago after 22 years at the helm of the Gunners, but part of the management had finally preferred the experience of Unai Emery.
"We all know there is a lot of work to be done to get there, but I have confidence that we will get there," he added.
It is indeed a big challenge for the new coach who inherits a team without a clear playing identity on the field and who has not shown much soul or strength of character since the start of the season.
© 2019 AFP