There are a number of reasons why Arsenal are back to their exhilarating best, but every one of those reasons points back to one man. And that’s Mikel Arteta. The former Manchester City assistant has transformed the Gunners.There were some initial doubts about his ability to take Arsenal back into the Premier League’s top four. Those doubts were understandable, however, given his inexperience and the number of miserable years fans at The Emirates had been forced to sit through.Even in the season prior to the last, as the North London side missed out on a Champions League place yet again, some may have been left wondering whether Arteta really was the man for the job.One year later on though, and it’s clear that Arsenal have arguably got themselves one of the most exciting young managers in Europe.The Spaniard expects nothing less than the high standards he sets for his players, too, as shown in recent training footage.
Mikel Arteta’s standards shown in recent training footage
As seen in a clip shared via Twitter, when warming up with club captain Martin Odegaard, they’re playing a little game, keeping the ball up in the air.
One of the club captain’s volleys falls just short of Arteta who, instead of reaching to try and save it, lets the imperfect pass hit the ground and then penalises the tiny error.
Odegaard laughs in joke disbelief but his manager simply retorts “This is Arsenal” emphasising the high standards he holds at the club.
The midfielder, in particular, has reached a new level under Arteta, leading by example for the rest of his teammates, who will be looking to make their mark in the Champions League next season.
In the last campaign, Odegaard had a year to remember, scoring 15 goals, and assisting a further eight in the Premier League. The fact is, the former Real Madrid man has quickly emerged as one of the best players in the Premier League.
What is Martin Odegaard’s market value?
Signed by Arsenal for a reported £30m, Odegaard has turned out to be quite the bargain. If the Gunners were to sell their star man now, which is extremely unlikely – so you can take a sigh of relief, Arsenal fans – they would potentially receive €90m (£76.83m), according to Transfermarkt.
At 24, that number is only likely to go up and up, too, given the sheer potential that Odegaard has, combined with the level that he is currently operating at.
Arsenal, in general, are on the up. Reportedly on the verge of welcoming Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber this summer, we may see Arteta’s side go one step further next season, and seal the ultimate glory of a Premier League title win.
Manchester City will have something to say about that, of course, following their sensational treble win last season. Meanwhile, Liverpool have fixed some of their midfield issues by welcoming both Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, so Jurgen Klopp’s side may well return to their dominant best come August.
One certainty is that Arteta is keen to ensure that the standards do not slip for one single second at Arsenal. He will want to make sure that last season was no fluke, but instead the start of a successful era in North London. They’re certainly due silverware, that’s for sure.
Arsenal fans reacted to the training footage, some of which you can see below: