Former Arsenal defender Mertesacker admits the Champions League comeback for the Gunners may not come for another two to three years, but called for patience with Mikel Arteta in what remains a big, big transition for Arsenal.
A little about the topic
The North London heavyweights have failed to qualify for elite European competition since Wenger was still at the helm and their last top four finish returned in 2015-16. Mikel Arteta is the man tasked with reversing this trend, and despite being asked about the Spaniard’s ability to meet high expectations, Per Mertesacker insists that he is the right person for the job.
What did Mertesacker say about Mikel Arteta?
Former Gunners defender Per Mertesacker, who now heads the club’s academy, talked about the current state of affairs at Emirates Stadium that the massive move is how Per would rate it. Per thinks it was clear that when Arsene Wenger left the void to be filled, it wouldn’t be sorted in a couple of seasons, or three to four years.
You always want a shortcut, you know, bang right back to the Champions League, right back to be successful. Per thinks, even he himself, realizing and working with the academy now, going for a more long-term development, Per thinks that they see kind of similar features in the first team, and Per hopes that Mikel Arteta will get the time he needs.
The World Cup winner added that he wants to be successful tomorrow, he wants to return to the Champions League tomorrow, he wants to talk to people and say that they have the best club in the world that challenges for titles every year. This is not reality. Per thinks that the sooner they get on the train they are in a big, big transition the better.
To have sustained success, there must be some trust. Per Mertesacker for trusting people. If Arteta, and Per sees him as the right person, let’s give him that trust and the development team that he can take to the next level, which will reach the Champions League football, maybe in two or three years. From the club man, this is Per’s reception mostly at the moment because Per worked very, very closely with Arteta.
The former Gunners defender knows how badly Mikel Arteta wants it, knows his work ethic, knows how hard the squad is working at the moment to get to the best level. Mertesacker thinks they all have to swallow the frustration Per wants to change at the moment, but the environment they are going to create in the coming years will be the key to their success. The stakes are very, very high and Mertesacker understands that there is a lot of criticism, but some people need to swallow it and try to grow with it, and Arteta is whoever does it.