5 best decisions made by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal
Mikel Arteta was appointed Arsenal's manager in December of 2019. The Spaniard has enjoyed a mixed spell so far but is quickly gathering support as he builds a squad to challenge for top prizes. Arteta had previously spent three years as Manchester City's assistant manager under Pep Guardiola.
Arteta has evidently learned a lot from his time under Pep and has employed several of the same philosophies with the Gunners. He won the FA Cup almost immediately after taking up the role. However, he followed that up with a lackluster season that saw the Gunners miss out on European football for the first time in more than two decades.
Arsenal are now one of the most in-form sides in the Premier League, winning six of their last seven league games. They are now fourth in the table and in a strong position to secure Champions League football.
On that note, let's take a look at the five best decisions made by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
#5. Trimming the wage bill
One of Mikel Arteta's best decisions has been to trim the wage bill for the club. When Arteta first came in, the squad was packed with several high-earners who did not justify their wages on the field. Arteta employed a ruthless approach and proceeded to sell or loan many players and cut down the club's wage bill.
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal transfer policy could save club £15m in wages after mass clear-out
mirror.co.uk/sport/football… https://t.co/55BMb9mvxy
The likes of Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and David Luiz have either been sold out or loaned out, causing a significant drop in the club's monthly wage bill.
How Arsenal HALVED their £157m wage bill in just ONE YEAR under Mikel Arteta… with costs even less than under Wenger thesun.co.uk/sport/17667555…
Arteta's astute nature has been key in the rebuilding of the squad and the club is much the better for it.
#4. Replacing Bernd Leno with Aaron Ramsdale
Bernd Leno was Arsenal's number one when Arteta signed for the club. The German is undoubtedly a fantastic goalkeeper but lacks the distribution that Arteta expects from his number one. Arteta's decision to scout and sign Aaron Ramsdale for 25 million pounds was met with raised eyebrows but the move has paid dividends.
Aaron Ramsdale has now kept as many clean sheets in 19 Premier League games this season as Bernd Leno kept in 35 games in 2020/21 (11).
Loving life at Arsenal. 🧤 https://t.co/BFzeBlIm11
Ramsdale has added a sense of stability to the club's backline. He is an excellent shot-stopper and possesses outstanding passing abilities. Lining up behind a new-look defensive line, Ramsdale has already kept 12 clean sheets this season.
Most Premier League clean sheets in a season for Arsenal in the last six campaigns:
◉ 12 - Aaron Ramsdale (2021/22)
◎ 12 - Petr Cech (2016/17)
◎ 11 - Bernd Leno (2020/21)
◎ 11 - Petr Cech (2017/18)
And Arsenal have 12 games remaining. 🧤 https://t.co/2eHcCTYTSR
Arteta deserves praise for stabilizing his side's defensive line. The Gunners have only conceded eight goals in the league this year and look much harder to beat.