Joleon Lescott has revealed that Mikel Arteta has surprised him with his managerial style at Arsenal.
The former Manchester City centre-back played with Arteta at Everton between 2006 and 2009, under David Moyes.
While Lescott has pursued a career in punditry after retiring, his Spanish counterpart has established himself as one of the best managers in world football, overseeing Arsenal’s rise from mid-table mediocrity to perennial title challengers.
While acknowledging the coach’s intelligence, the ex-defender is still surprised by Arteta’s post-playing career.
Joleon Lescott says that he’s surprised by Mikel Arteta’s management
Arteta has been accused of being overly pragmatic in recent weeks.
Many feel his tactics and approach have been too conservative for the squad he has at his disposal, while he’s also developed a reputation for being something of a divisive character.
This contrasts to what he was like as a footballer; Arteta was an elegant technician, who was creative in the final third as a number ten and a metronome when he became a number six.
Speaking on the All Out Football YouTube channel, Lescott highlighted this, claiming that he’s been surprised that Arteta has developed into the type of manager he has.
“[He was] Different to the manager, Mikel, I didn’t see that he was going to be a manager like that,” he said.
“He definitely knew the game, like very astute, like knowledgeable, but I didn’t see this. When I first went to Everton, he was the left winger, and then he went to play midfield like the six and that’s when he came to Arsenal, in that role.
“But the way he played that was like, oh you are way more intelligent a footballer than I appreciated. I just thought he was intelligent, but technically very good, and then he went in there and he wanted to do the dirty work as well.”
Mikel Arteta will prove people wrong at Arsenal
There is a lot of negativity around Arteta at Arsenal at the moment.
Despite the Gunners being an exceptional team, the Spaniard is yet to win a major piece of silverware, and this is subsequently prompting everyone to overanalyse everything he does.
If he had trophies in the bank, there would be far less scepticism around his managerial style and the team selection decisions he makes.
Ultimately, the only thing that will prevent these narratives from circulating is him winning the Premier League or Champions League at the end of this season.
However, with William Saliba signing a new contract and many of his key players only just in their peak, Arteta is primed to win a major honour at Arsenal in the next two or three years, which will silence the critics.
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