New Under Armour ambassador Mikel Arteta has spoken to FourFourTwo ahead of the new season about the characteristics that he looks for in new players.
The Arsenal manager has welcomed several new faces this summer and with his side's campaign kicking off on Sunday, he was unveiled as Under Armour's new Global Ambassador and Director of Performance in London.
FourFourTwo were there for Under Armour's presentation, as the Basque boss – ranked at no.7 in our list of the best managers in the world right now – got to grips with his vision for the game.
Mikel Arteta: 'Personality is the most important thing in a player'
Under Armour is collaborating with Mikel Arteta to enhance its presence in global football, as the brand draws on the Gunners manager's experience as both a player and a coach, with Arteta providing valuable insights into product development, talent identification, and leadership.
But far more than his status as a Premier League manager, Arteta's history of giving young players the opportunity to thrive makes him a sensible fit to spearhead the UA Next program and bolster Under Armour's community outreach in London – so we asked what kind of characteristics he looks for when he's scouting the next Bukayo Saka or Ethan Nwaneri to make the leap to the top level.
“The most important is personality,” Arteta said. “I think without that, I think you have no chance.
“I think you have to be looking at somebody's eyes. It's the first impression, ‘Is this guy ready to put that jersey on, work in that dressing room, take all the noise that is surrounding his signing and dealing with it in the right way?’ And then we go to the qualities and then how this person relates to [his team-mates].
“So you have to imagine this person with this personality in their position – then how they'd fit with Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, in these groups, and how this personality is going to influence this group in this way and at the end they are going to have to connect with each other. I think that's really, really important.
With Under Armour looking to provide opportunities to the next generation of talents, FourFourTwo were keen to know, too, if there were any untapped markets – especially with the transfer window still open for the Gunners.
“England is really incredible and we have so many examples,” Arteta responded. “That is again, because of giving more and more opportunities.
“We need to see that if we want to maintain and sustain the level in this country with the demands that we are putting for ourselves, we'd better start to promote [young players] much more.”
