Former Arsenal defender William Gallas says the Gunners made a “mistake” in hiring Mikel Arteta as head coach.
Arteta was appointed manager in December 2019 as a replacement for Unai Emery and has struggled somewhat in the time since.
The former Gunner led Arsenal to the FA Cup trophy in 2020, but last season his side finished eighth in the Premier League as the club failed to qualify for European football for the first time in 25 years.
Arsenal also lost their Europa League semi-final 2-1 on aggregate against Emery’s Villarreal, and ex-Gunner and France defender Gallas has given his verdict on why Arteta hasn’t achieved what he perhaps should have.
He told The Sun: “Mikel Arteta was not ready yet to manage a club like Arsenal.
“Okay, he was assistant coach at Manchester City, but he had never managed a team. It is completely different.
“The board made a mistake picking him. I’m sure he will be a great manager, but you need to have experience to manage a big club. To be honest, it is a great shame for the Arsenal fans after finishing eighth.
“Arsenal is not the same Arsenal we knew 18, 20 years ago. We had players who were strong, with strong personalities.”
Despite the disappointing season, Arteta is likely to remain in charge next term and has said he believes that the club are moving in the right direction.
He told Arsenal’s website: “I can tell you what I see and my feelings.
“What I can say is that when I watch the team a few months ago and when I watch them now, regardless of the result, in my opinion we are in a much better place and we will be in a much better place.
“Hopefully we can take the club where we want.”
