Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the ‘energy’ at the club simply ‘wasn’t right’ under Unai Emery. The former Sevilla boss lasted less than 18 months at the club after he replaced Arsene Wenger in 2018.
Though Arsenal reached the Europa League final in Emery’s first campaign, his stint collapsed in his second season and he left with the Gunners on a seven-game winless run.
Arteta’s appointment has seen an improvement in results at the club but the biggest transformation has been the positivity that the players and fans have rediscovered since his arrival.
And, in a dig at the ‘disconnect’ that Emery created at the Emirates, Arteta says his biggest challenge has been repairing the relationship between the players, management and fans.
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Speaking to Ian Wright, Mikel Arteta said :’It is happening [the transformation]. Coming into the club in that moment wasn’t easy but you mention a key word which is ‘energy’ and I felt that the energy around the training ground and the stadium wasn’t right for this magnificent club.
‘I was here and was lucky to play here so everyone first of all has to feel in that way.
‘There was a lot of disconnection in many areas and I wanted to bring everyone together.
‘First of all to make everyone understand how lucky we are to be here and then a very clear direction of where we have to be.’
Though results have improved under the Spaniard, but the Gunners still remain outside the top four.
However, they were eight points off Champions League place when Emery was sacked and they’re currently five points adrift under Arteta.
Arsenal became the first team to open up their training ground during the coronavirus pandemic, though all players have to follow strict social distance guidelines.
