At a Glance:
- Robin van Persie questioned Mikel Arteta as Arsenal boss in 2019.
- Suggested Arsenal to hire a winner.
- Van Persie has been sacked as Feyenoord manager now.
Mikel Arteta’s chances of leading Arsenal to success were doubted by several fans and pundits alike during his early years at the Emirates Stadium.
Jose Mourinho backed Arteta to succeed but he was one of the few footballing figures to see a potential top manager in the Spaniard.
The Spaniard was taking over a massive job and that too in his first role as a manager while the Gunners simply lacked the quality to go on to bigger and better things at the time.
However, Arsenal won the Premier League title as Mikel Arteta silenced his doubters, one of them being former teammate Robin van Persie.
Robin van Persie claimed Mikel Arteta won’t win the Premier League as Arsenal manager
In 2019, Van Persie predicted Arteta not to win the league at Arsenal, saying via GOAL: “Arsenal can’t win the title with Arteta as their manager, I don’t hate him but as pundits, we need to say the truth…”
Van Persie was brilliant for Arsenal before his controversial move to Manchester United in 2012 and having worked with the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, he advised Arsenal to bring in a proven winner unlike Arteta.
“Arsenal need a manager that has won a lot of trophies and with a winning mentality deposited in the players.
“He won’t give Arsenal a major trophy even if he stays another 10 years at the club.”
Feyenoord sack Robin van Persie
However, Van Persie’s claims about Mikel Arteta have aged poorly, considering Feyenoord have sacked the Dutch manager after just 16 months in charge. The Premier League winner led his former club to second place, albeit 19 points behind Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven.
However, technical Devy Rigaux told Feyenoord’s official website that the club’s style of play and points tallies were factors behind his sacking.
“We conducted a thorough internal evaluation in which we looked at several factors, including the development of the team’s performances and the downward trend in points collected, both in Europe and in the Eredivisie. The conclusion was that it would be better to start the new season with a new head coach.”
While Van Persie was entitled to his opinion in 2019, it’s safe to say that all he can to admit that Mikel Arteta has proven him wrong.
