Gary Neville has given a glowing review of Mikel Arteta’s impact on Arsenal after making his latest addition to the squad.
The Gunners signed Iceland goalkeeper Alex Runarsson on Monday to replace Emiliano Martinez as he left for Aston Villa.
He is the third player to arrive in north London this summer after Gabriel Magalhaes and Willian, who have helped the Gunners win their first two games to sit third in the Premier League.
And Neville, who won eight league titles at rivals Manchester United, heaped praise on the Arsenal boss for his work since arriving last December.
“I think Mikel Arteta is punching above his weight,” he said on his podcast.
"He is going above and beyond the players he has. The shape and the organisation, things we have criticised Arsenal for in the past, is good.
“They are not finishing in the top four like Arsene Wenger used to get criticised for but they look like a team which is more cohesive. It has continued from the end of last season and he is doing a great job.
“I just think Mikel Arteta would love that £150 million that Frank Lampard has got this summer.”
The Gunners boss saw his side leave it late against West Ham to come away 2-1 winners on Saturday, with Eddie Nketiah poking into an open net on 85 minutes.
“We were a little bit lucky for sure but we found a way to win,” Arteta said after the match.
“That’s the mentality I want. At the end it’s three points. There are a lot of things to improve.
“We are still very far from where we want to be. We are still adapting things but it’s great to have six points already.
“Between 55 and 65 minutes I could see the team giving up. I tried to lift them up and I saw a different team in the last 20 minutes. We’re going to have games like that."
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