Mikel Arteta has been proven right about a lot of things over the years.
Now you can add another one to the list.
Yves Bissouma has been released by Tottenham following the expiry of his contract, leaving on a free after four underwhelming years in north London.
Arsenal fans might recall the meltdown that followed his £30million move to Spurs in the summer of 2022 — a fee that seemed modest for a midfielder who had been one of the best in the Premier League at Brighton.
Arsenal had been heavily linked with the Mali international, but Mikel Arteta and the club ultimately chose not to sign him.
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Four years and 111 largely forgettable Tottenham appearances later, Bissouma departs without any fuss from Spurs fans. Arteta was right.
The Gunners instead brought in Jorginho as a short-term option the following January — a player who, while modest in his contribution, arguably played a more influential role in his 18 months at Arsenal than Bissouma managed in four years at Spurs.
And the following summer, Arteta spent £105million on Declan Rice. It is safe to say that was worth it.
Mikel Arteta has consistently been proven right
Bissouma is simply the latest addition to a long list of decisions that drew criticism at the time but look shrewd in hindsight.
Arteta got rid of huge egos like Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the club, decisions that were hugely controversial but ultimately transformed the culture at the Emirates.
He signed Martin Odegaard over Emi Buendia and James Maddison, who were regarded as the more fashionable alternatives at the time.
The Norwegian would of course go on to become the club’s first captain to lift the Premier League trophy since Patrick Vieira.
He spent £50million on Ben White, which was seen as a huge overpayment at a time when Manchester United signed Raphael Varane and Spurs signed Christian Romero.
He paid £30million for Aaron Ramsdale, before deciding two years later that David Raya was the upgrade needed to reach the next level. Both decisions perplexed fans and pundits at the time.
Even last summer, he refused to let Leandro Trossard leave, which looked questionable at the time but was completely vindicated by the Belgian’s contribution to the title run-in.
Every one of those decisions raised eyebrows. Every one of them has been proven correct. Bissouma’s release on a free is just the latest reminder of why you should probably trust this manager.
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