Former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has suggested that Mikel Arteta should remain in charge of Arsenal next season.
The Spaniard was at the helm for a hugely disappointing campaign at the Emirates Stadium, only managing to lead the Gunners to eighth place in his first full season in charge.
It meant that Arsenal are set to be without any form of European football next season, an aspect that saw Arteta’s position called into question.
There were rumours that the former Manchester City coach could be relieved of his duties following the season but in the end, he has remained in his position in North London.
Jenas believes that was the correct decision and could be one that pays dividends for the Gunners in the future.
He said: “I think long-term Mikel Arteta is going to be a top manager. He has got that obsessive nature to football, and the way he sees the game.
“I think this year he became very frustrated at times, you could see it in the way Arsenal performed. What is in his head is not quite transferring itself onto the pitch. The players are either not able to do it or they are not responding to his methods.
“I have got to give Arsenal a lot of credit for sticking with him as long as they did. They could have quite easily pulled the plug like Chelsea did with Frank [Lampard]. In the long-term I think Arteta will be a top coach. Towards the end of the season the players started to respond and come back.”
Whilst there were certainly calls for Arteta to be sacked, Jenas still believes that the experience of that pressure could be beneficial for the Spaniard and has backed the Gunners to improve as a result.
“Is he the right man? I think the obvious answer would be no because he has not had a great year. But players have bad years and then they come back and play well. I don't think it's any different for managers.” he continued.
“He [Arteta] will have learned more about himself this year than he learned with his five years with Pep Guardiola. You will see a different version of Arsenal and Arteta next year. If the players are on board, they can be a problem again and will be competing at the European level again.”
