Arsenal have a great role model in Arteta
Arsenal have always had a blend of youth and experience in the team and since Wenger took over as manager the amount of young players has increased to the point where Mikel Arteta, at 30-years old, is one of the oldest players at the club.
It is not just his age and experience that make the Spaniard one of the best role models at the club, however, it is the way he conducts himself both on and off the field.
“On the pitch and away from it, I have been trying to behave the way I think I should because I think we have a big responsibility.
“I am still 30 and I am used to playing with guys who are 34, 35 and 36, but at Arsenal when you get to that age you are one of the oldest, if not the oldest!
“It’s a bit funny but you know inside yourself that you have that responsibility and there are kids who are 17 and 18 and they are looking to you.”
Only Tomas Rosicky and Sebastien, Andrey Arshavin and Sebastien Squillachi are older than Arteta, and only by a year or two. His maturity and professional attitude mark him out as a great example, though and Wenger is happy to have him as a role model for the youth.
His disciplinary record since becoming a Gunner is very good, especially for the position he plays, just five yellow cards so far. You never see him arguing with team mates, the manager or even opposition players. He also avoids the sort of adverse publicity that seems to be more and more common in the modern game.
“Not only for ourselves but for what we represent to other people. We are in a very lucky position and we have to take advantage of that and use it in the right way. Sometimes we make too many mistakes.”
Young players coming up through the ranks at Arsenal could do a lot worse than try to be more like Arteta, some of his footballing skills would be a bonus as well.
What a lad. Such a shame that he can only play for Spain or he would have got his wish playing international football long ago which he so much deserves.
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My favourite player he is such a pro, a lot of people dont know but he took a paycut to come to arsenal on transfer deadline day now thats passion for the club, he dosnt moan if he told to play defensive midfield or attacking midfield he gets on with it and does a great job. arteta is loved as much as cesc was!
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I always respect his attitude.. The leader that lead by example… Young lads should learn from him..
Love arsenal
Love arteta
Hate kemp
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39 
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top man…great attitude…PERFECT GUY TO BE AROUND YOUNG GUNS…
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is it me or whenever arteta plays..it feels like he’s a hybrd of makelele and xavi??
He’s amazing!!!!!
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What wil we do without u mikel, great job am glad u r a gooner n do your thng, we love u pal.
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just take a look at “behind the numbers in arsenal(dot)com”.that tells u what he is
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i want wellington silva, joel campbell and ryo at arsenal !
why do we loan them out every season, they dont even get playing time?
Opinions divided. What do you think?
6 
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dis is y i hav him on da bck of my top
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remember last season when he was out injured nd arsenal were struggling! ! arteta is the unsung hero!!! We LOVE U MIKEL!
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@landi
I believe the club wanted to have joel campbell this year but work permit issues prevented it. ryo will get more games at wigan as will joel campbell at betis than they would at arsenal and as a result will improve they are still very young plenty of time to break into our squad!
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Theres no way wellington will play for arsenal because he wont get a permit because he will never get in the brazil side with the players they have got
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I want to see this
Afobe. – striker target man
Campbell. – second striker
This would be great ya hear me.
Aneke to
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wowwww, if you go on the arsenal official website and look at the article behind the numbers, the season so far.
U will see how important arteta is to use!!!
the stats truly highlight hw much input he has on our team.
Behaviour wise he is definetly a role model, to allll football players.
Hope he gets his fairytale call up to the national team.
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The General Arteta! Wenger is a genius, never thought he’d play so well as a deep lying midfielder, Wenger knows wot he’s doing, for u fools shouting play walcott in the middle, Wenger knows best, cazorla was a winger and Wenger stuck him in the middle. We need Arteta Fit all season!
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He has been our best player this season very solid professional Arshivan could learn alot from him never mind the kids but he sets the bar for how a pro should behave.
He has been a great signing and I think he playing the SM role this season has been a great decision.
Why spend 25M on MVilla when you have Arteta who can break up the play without getting red cards and his link up play is first class.
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Do you know what Tottenham fans and sperm cells have in common? They both have chances 1 out of few millions to become a normal human beings!
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Arteta is a great role model, but i would suggest to every young lad to aspire in emulating Santi, he play’s the game perfectly at times, and also look’s alike a wonderkid playing in the field just down the road (with a huge smile on face and having a ball)
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Well i love the way you present yourself or position in the team with your colleague even though you are not mate but they due give you respect at their senior brother whom the are play with. But for reason i one to use this opportunity to call on you ARTETA the way you behave continuously like that and you will gain from your junior ones. I wishing you long live and property.
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@BobDillon you are usually clued in and very wised up,(especially with your song subterranaen home sick blues) just to fyi, the reason why we loan Wellington and other’s to the spainish devisions, is to get them their european passports…
Im a huge fan!!, you are Awsome!!!
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sorry it is @Dylan!! not dillon!!
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Honestly Arteta for president his a flippen transformer that guy he can do anything! Wenger must give the spanish manager del bos a call and give Arteta his international debut. I don’t mind singing King Arteta King Arteta!!
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Arteta experience is what Arsenal need its a pity spain squad is full of talent….
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Arsenal need to eventually replace: Arteta, Arshavin, Sagna, Squillaci and Rosicky. This needs to happen over the next 1-2 years. They’re all aging quick and finding new players to replace them would be a major task. There is no question that we should replace experience with experience. If there’s anything we’ve learnt over the last few years, Arsenal need experienced players to keep their 90min focus and fight to win a game. We have a healthy balance now. We should stick to this formula.
At the same time, I’d like to see guys like Afobe, Aneke, Gnabry and Eisfeld get more games. Maybe 2 of the 4 might get a crack next year in the first team, but they need to be playing alongside more mature players to improve. Our midfield will need some reshuffling in the coming years when Cazorla gets older. Currently the team is built around him just like it was during Fabregas’ tenure. It’ll be interesting to see how Ox and Eisfeld develop into CAMs. This will determine Arsenal’s spending in the next few years as proven CAMs tend to be worth a decent quid.
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Arteta puts a smile on my face with his work rate. He’s not the quickest of players so he has to work harder physically, but I crack up when he uses his body to position himself between the ball and the defender, which in turn makes it harder for the opponent to take the ball off him. Love watching him fight for possession when it’s in our own third. The way he puts his body on the line to guard his position is admirable. I especially crack up when Arteta steals the ball, an opponent comes in with a hard tackle to dispossess him, but he’s too clever by kicking the ball in a safe space then takes the foul.
The guy is just too smart. Rosicky does the same thing when in trouble, but he’s a lot quicker and nimble so he can turn away from players unlike Arteta. The Spaniard has to use more brains just like Merts. He’ll be a hard player for Arsenal to replace in the near future.
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I had expected him to appointed the captain after RVP left.
I think his abilities and contribution are not recognised as much as they should both at the club and in Spain. To me he is still underrated
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