Unai Emery recently gave an interview to The Guardian and if what he said is true then Arsenal’s new manager Mikel Arteta could be in for a really tough time.
First, the former Arsenal manager has admitted that he wanted to sign Wilfried Zaha last summer and not Nicolas Pepe but the Arsenal board could not pull the deal through.
Emery said about the Pepe signing: “We signed [Nicolas] Pépé. He’s a good player but we didn’t know his character and he needs time, patience.
“I favoured someone who knew the league and wouldn’t need to adapt. [Wilfried] Zaha won games on his own: Tottenham, Manchester City, us. Incredible performances. I told them: ‘This is the player I know and want.’ I met Zaha and he wanted to come. The club decided Pépé was one for the future. I said: ‘Yes, but we need to win now and this lad wins games.’ He beat us on his own.
“It’s also true he was expensive and Palace didn’t want to sell. “There were a series of decisions that had repercussions.”
Emery also talked about the departure of Aaron Ramsey to Juventus and how it was more of a financial issue between the club and the Welshman.
Talking about Ramsey’s departure, the Spaniard added: “[Initially] he wanted to stay,” Emery says of Ramsey. “He needed to negotiate a new contract and they didn’t reach an agreement. The club had doubts about renewing for a certain sum.
“Ramsey wanted to feel valued. It was a financial matter; I can’t get involved. And I still didn’t know him well when I arrived. He’s important but I can’t say what they should pay him.”
Is Mikel Arteta about to face the same problem?
Unai Emery has clearly hinted that the Arsenal management and he were not at sync which was one of the main reasons why the team’s form dipped in the first half of this season.
And we feel Mikel Arteta could be about to hit the same brick wall at the end of the ongoing campaign.
Arsenal are set to miss out on Champions League football meaning there’s every chance the Arsenal management could provide a limited budget for the upcoming summer transfer window. And if this is true then it could be a big cause of concern for the new Gunners boss since he needs to bring in reinforcements for almost every area of his squad.
Unai Emery did not get the players he desired when he was in charge at Arsenal and if the same thing happens with Mikel Arteta then it will take a number of more years before the North London club are ready to challenge for the Premier League title.
