Arteta can become one of world’s best managers – Pochettino

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino believes Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta could become “one of the greatest managers in the world.”

In his first managerial post, Arteta took charge of Arsenal in December 2019 and has dramatically revived their fortunes, securing a second-place finish in the Premier League last season and qualification back into the Champions League for the first time in six years.

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Pochettino and Arteta have a friendship dating back to 2001 when both joined Paris Saint-Germain as players that summer, Arteta on a season-long loan from Barcelona B and Pochettino signing permanently from Espanyol.

Speaking on Friday ahead of their first meeting as managers when Chelsea host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino said: “[I have] amazing memories. When you connect with a person like him — we share the values and the passion of football — yes, I can tell you he is part of my family from day one he arrived in Paris.

“We arrived together, we spent time together with our families also. First of all in a few months in a hotel and then we live very close. It was an amazing, amazing history. He has not surprised me, what he is doing, because he was a coach already when he was 17, when I looked at him he was already a coach.

“Trust me, he was really, really good. The judgement, how he sees football, it has not surprised me he is great. He is still really young, improving day by day. He can be one of the greatest managers in the world.

“When you are a coach in Arsenal and you are showing what the team is showing, it is because he is one of the best. I don’t care if he is 30 years old, 40 years old, he is showing that is one of the best coaches in the world today.

“Of course, that is not only about being good tactically. Football knowledge is about how you manage people, how you manage the institute, how you deal with the media, how you deal with owners, how do you deal with the sporting directors? It is not only the capacity to be clever or smart in the way you prepare the games because I think in the end this is not the most important thing at the moment in this business. But of course, he is one of the best.”

Arteta spoke earlier on Friday in his news conference about the influence Pochettino had on him during their time together in the French capital.

“He was critical, has been one of the most influential people in my career, firstly as a player, he took me under the arm and looked after me a little child, a little brother and he was a big part of the success I had in Paris, it was because of him because he really looked after me, gave me a lot of confidence and a lot of advice,” Arteta said.

“He has been a role model for me since that day, not only when I was a player but as a manger as well, when I had to make the decision to leave playing and start my coaching career he had a big say on that and I will always be grateful.”