Big Sam Allardyce is back to management after accepting the Leeds United job, and the Englishman has already aimed a little dig at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
The 68-year-old is a veteran of the game. He has been around for as long as we can remember, and his experience trumps almost every other manager in the Premier League.
Big Sam has now been given the Leeds job to keep them up in the division, and he’s as confident about himself as ever before.
Why Pele Is Overrated.
New Leeds boss Sam Allardyce makes needless comment about Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
Sam Allardyce and Arsenal fans don’t really have a great relationship.
The now-68-year-old aimed various digs at us in the past and his touchline battles with the legendary Arsene Wenger got heated on more than one occasion.
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Allardyce even wrote in his autobiography that he loved beating Arsenal more than any other club and accused Wenger of having an ‘air of arrogance‘ about him.
Wenger isn’t around anymore, so Allardyce is trying to flex his muscle over Mikel Arteta and the two other elite managers in the Premier League – Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
He said in his press conference: “I might be 68 and look old and antiquated but there’s nobody ahead of me in football terms. Not Pep, not Klopp, not Arteta. It’s all there with me. They do what they do and I do what I do.
“In terms of knowledge, I am not saying I’m better than them but I’m certainly as good as they are.”
The Insider’s View:
That sort of confidence should really excite Leeds United fans.
The Whites are 17th in the Premier League table, level on points with Nottingham Forest, who are a place below. Their next four games are extremely difficult – against Manchester City, Newcastle United, West Ham and Tottenham.
It’s no surprise that Leeds have turned to Allardyce to save them, and the Englishman has a great history in that respect. However, the last time he was in this position, things ended badly.
Allardyce’s last job was at West Bromwich Albion. They got relegated in May 2021 after suffering a 3-1 defeat to…guess who…Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Football is a funny game, isn’t it?
