Mikel Arteta has revealed that Arsene Wenger’s return to Arsenal for the Boxing Day victory over West Ham was kept secret from his players, but believes their performance did justice to the legendary boss’ legacy.
The Frenchman was in the stands for the first time since leaving the club in 2018 as goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah sent the Gunners seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 victory.
Wenger, who now works as Fifa’s Chief of Global Football Development, was shown on the big screen celebrating Martinelli’s strike, which put the hosts 2-1 ahead, and was serenaded with several choruses of “One Arsene Wenger” by the home crowd.
“The players didn’t know,” Arteta said of Wenger’s visit, which had been kept under wraps until kick-off. “We wanted to keep it quiet and allow that space for Arsene. Stan and Josh [Kroenke] are here as well and it was a really special day.
“Thank you so much to him for coming. Hopefully, walking through the building he’s going to feel everything that everybody thinks of him, the legacy he left here.
“He picked the right moment, a really special day because Boxing Day is a beautiful day to play football and I thought today the levels were what he deserved and hopefully he’ll like.
“Hopefully he’s going to leave here and be willing to spend more time with us and be more around us because he’s such a big influence for me personally in my career, the way I see the game, but as well for this football club.”
Arteta, meanwhile, refused to comment on Arsenal’s pursuit of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk.
The Gunners have made a formal offer to the Ukrainian club worth around £55million, though almost £20m of that sum is understood to be in add-ons.
Mudryk posted an Instagram story of himself watching Monday’s game but when asked for an update, Arteta said: “You know that I never speak about players who are not with us. I understand that you have to ask me the question.
“We said that we will try and find ways to strengthen the team [if] we find the right players and that’s what I can say.
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“The good thing in England is that you don’t have many other matches in other countries at Christmas so hopefully a lot of people watched our game and we gave them a good show.”
