Mikel Arteta says he always loved one ‘tremendous’ player at Arsenal, but Unai Emery sold him

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Unai Emery’s time at Arsenal was not great at all.

The Spaniard became the chosen one to replace Arsene Wenger at the Emirates in the summer of 2018. There were a few concerns at the time, but Arsenal fans gave him the benefit of the doubt because of the trophies he had previously won.

Emery’s started with two defeats but then went on a good run. However, even when the Gunners won under him, there was no excitement.

That, combined with poor results in the first few months of his second season, earned him the sack, and he can’t blame anyone but himself for that.

Mikel Arteta has now had his say on one player Emery sold at Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta shares what he honestly thought about Alex Iwobi at Arsenal

Alex Iwobi joined Arsenal’s academy when he was just eight years old.

The Nigerian spent 15 years as a Gunner. He came through the ranks, impressed everyone at Hale End and established himself as a first-team player under Wenger.

Then, in Emery’s first season at the club, Iwobi became a regular and made 51 appearances in all competitions. He directly contributed to 14 goals, including a stunner in the Europa League final.

Despite playing so regularly, Emery sold Iwobi to Everton in the following summer, and the Nigerian has had his ups and downs since.

However, since joining Fulham, he has been brilliant, and Arteta has now delivered his verdict on the versatile attacker.

He said ahead of the game against the Cottagers, as relayed on HaytersTV: “I always liked him a lot.

“I always thought that he had tremendous quality, a very special talent, a talent that has the capacity to play in different spaces and positions as well.

“I’m really happy to see him playing at that level.”

Iwobi could cause problems to one Arsenal player

Iwobi has always been a great talent, but he just couldn’t fulfil his potential at Arsenal. That was a shame and it was a bit sad to see him leave.

However, the Nigerian has gone up a level under Marco Silva at Fulham, and he has been brilliant for them since the start of this season.

Iwobi has played on both flanks as well as in midfield for the Cottagers this campaign, and he can play in any of those roles against Arsenal on Sunday.

We think Silva will deploy him on the right wing. That’s because Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt for the game and Oleksandr Zinchenko could get another start at left-back.

The Ukrainian has had his problems defensively, and Arteta took him off right after Amad Diallo troubled him in the game against Manchester United midweek.

If Iwobi goes up against Zinchenko on Sunday, we’re sure the Fulham star will back himself to get the better of the Arsenal number 17.