Super Eagles legend Austin Jay-Jay Okocha says he is not surprised by Mikel Arteta’s impressive impact at Arsenal and has backed his former teammate to guide the club to the English Premier League title, SportPremi reports.
Arteta, 43 has overseen remarkable improvements at the Gunners since his arrival in 2019 and has guided the club to three consecutive second-placed finishes in the league.
In the current campaign, the North London side currently stand at the top of the standings, six points above second-placed Manchester City and are favourites to win the league title.
Arsenal also top the league phase of the UEFA Champions League and are also in the semifinal of the EFL Cup, with a two-legged clash against London rivals Chelsea beginning on Wednesday.
Okocha hails Arteta impact, tips ex-teammate for EPL success
Okocha and Arteta played together during a brief spell at French Club Paris Saint Germain between 2001 and 2002, before moving on to other clubs in the course of their career.
However, the Super Eagles legend is not surprised at the impact the Spaniard has enjoyed in England and believes he could finally lift the elusive league title this year.
“He is special, because he came when he was 18 and I’ve never seen an 18-year-old so confident, wanting to dominate games at that young age, so it didn’t take him long to settle down”, Okocha hailed Arteta.
“So, we all noticed him immediately and knew that he got something special. He came at the same time as Pochettino, Heinze, and we had such a good team. The atmosphere in the dressing room was special because we had the Africans, the Spanish and the French. It was just all of us trying to speak our broken French.”
The former Bolton Wanderers forward believes Arsenal have the quality to go all the way and end their trophy-drought this season.
“I wasn’t surprised he became a manager because from what I saw then, his football IQ, personality, is still what we’re seeing now, because he’s gone on to develop himself and also became a coach after he retired,” Okocha continued.
“He’s done a good job at Arsenal; we can see the progress since he took over. I know that the fans’ expectations are so high, they’re never patient, but we can see that he’s built his own team.
“He’s been challenging for the title, and I think it’s the right time for him to win the Premier League. He’s got the best squad in the League, if not in Europe, so it’s theirs to lose.
“I think he could do more [more than winning the EPL]. In football, you’ve got the chance to win every trophy as long as you’re in the race.
“Who would think that you can’t win more than one, but let’s start with one first”, the former Nigerian captain concluded.
Following disappointments in recent seasons, there could finally be light at the end of the tunnel for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, with multiple trophies in sight.
