Mauricio Pochettino said back in February that Mikel Arteta has "the capacity to be one of the greatest coaches in football" as the Spaniard takes his first step as a No.1 by taking the Arsenal job.
Manchester City assistant coach Arteta has made Arsenal his first club as a manager, moving back to the outfit he played for for five seasons between 2011 and 2016.
Arsenal chiefs were pictured leaving Arteta's home in Manchester in the early hours of Monday morning, and ever since then the move to bring him back to north London gathered pace until he was appointed on Friday.
And former Tottenham boss Pochettino is clearly a big fan of Arteta - who he played with at Paris Saint-Germain - judging by an interview he gave earlier this year.
When asked by Sky Sports if Arteta had what it takes to be a good manager, Pochettino said: "Yes of course, he’s going to be.
"He’s top, a top personality, character. I think he has the qualities to be one of the best."
Although Pochettino is 10 years Arteta's senior, the pair's paths crossed for the first time when both of them joined PSG in early 2001, with Pochettino joining from Espanyol and Arteta as a teenager from Barcelona .
"He was very young when I played with him at Paris Saint-Germain, he was 17 years old when he arrived and he was brilliant," continued Pochettino.
"He was brilliant not only because of his talent but his maturity on the pitch, to be a leader, his knowledge about football surprised me as he was a young player who had a capacity to talk in the same level as a 30-year-old player.
"For me, he’s going to be one of the best coaches when he decides to be a coach.
"He has the capacity to be one of the greatest coaches in football, for sure."
