Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has opened up on Arsene Wenger’s influence on his style of coaching. Wenger brought Arteta to the Emirates Stadium from Everton in 2011 and the Spaniard plied his trade in north London for five years, even captaining the Gunners during his last two years at the club. Now, the former Manchester City assistant coach has admitted that the Frenchman helped inspire him and current Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira to become coaches.
Mikel Arteta said: “You have the choice to say no I don’t want to take that job because they are always going to compare [Wenger] with me,” said Arteta. But if you love what you want to do, and you feel capable of achieving what you think you can achieve for that club, then it is your decision. We were all guided and in a way, or made to feel in a different way because we had Arsene as a manager. He started the fire in us to be a coach. Not only in me or probably in Patrick, but in many others, with his way of treating everybody at the club and with how he felt the game.”
Arteta has allowed former Arsenal playmaker Jack Wilshere to train at the club’s London Colney training ground in recent weeks and the 39-year-old has claimed Wilshere is interested in becoming a coach in the future.
Mikel Arteta said: “He is very interested at the moment, he’s trying to learn. It will be his decision what he wants to do. For sure he could be [a coach]. It will just be done to him. I think he has everything that is needed to be the right coach.”
