Theo Walcott has opened up about his time playing alongside Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, claiming that legendary Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was “afraid” of the Spaniard
Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott claims Mikel Arteta was always destined for success as a manager – after leaving Arsene Wenger “scared” during a training ground incident.
Arteta joined the Gunners from Everton in 2011 and spent five years at the Emirates before retiring and starting his coaching career under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. He then returned to Arsenal as manager in 2019, turning them back into title challengers.
And Walcott, who was Arteta’s teammate at Arsenal, has recalled how the Spaniard was “such a strong character that even Arsene was afraid of him”. He also recounted a specific instance that showed him Arteta would go on to become a manager.
“The turning point for me in terms of how I viewed Mikel Arteta was an experience I had with him as a player at Arsenal,” Walcott told William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan. ‌”It was at a time when we weren’t making the top four.
“We had training in 30 minutes and he locked all the players in the dressing room, as if he was the manager. He was taking control of the whole space and telling us how it is. In that moment it was like he was the manager, and that was the turning point for me.
“That’s when I thought he could go on to be a manager. Arsene Wenger was waiting for us to come outside for training but we weren’t coming out because Mikel stopped the training session. He was such a strong character that even Arsene was afraid of him.”
Arteta has repeatedly spoken of his admiration for Wenger and revealed last year that the Frenchman’s loyalty is a trait he has tried to adopt. “I’m so grateful to have played for Arsene at this club in my career. He chose me to be one of his players and selected me to be the captain of the club and that’s something I will never forget,” Arteta told club media.
“He chose me to be one of his players and selected me to be the captain of the club and that’s something I will never forget. Towards the end of my playing career, I started to speak with Arsene about going into coaching and management myself, and he told me he had already anticipated that. Even the first year when I got here, he said to me: ‘one day you are going to be a manager’, and I wasn’t really thinking about that at that time.
“I learned so much from him and if I had to pick one of his many great values, it is how loyal he was and how much he defended the club, its players and football in general. The passion he has for the game is just phenomenal and you could see that. He really wanted to respect the game and he wanted it to be played in a certain way.
“Also, the way he always put the club in front of any personal interest at all times is something that I have tried to learn from him. The way he defended the club, the way he presented himself, the way he was loyal to the players and his staff is something that I really took from him. He is an example for me.”
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