Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott hailed Mikel Arteta for transforming the club during his spell as manager.
Walcott won the FA Cup twice and was a League Cup runner-up during his 12 years in the Arsenal attack from 2006.
But the ex-England youngster says Arteta has completely changed the club compared with his own time with the Gunners.
“Our goal, even though at times we didn’t win leagues, was top four and we did that pretty often,” Walcott said.
“[Mikel] is a big changing factor in this club. They have challenged consistently now to win the league and that’s a different mindset potentially that maybe we had when we were going for top four.”
The one-time teen wonderkid is only 35 and in the USA as part of Arteta’s travelling squad as a club legend and ambassador.
It has given him a chance to assess how his former team-mate has transformed Arsenal.
He added: “He sees the bigger picture. It’s not all about him, he likes to look not only at the building blocks which he started, but the people who have continuously stayed there, the people you don’t see, that’s one thing Mikel has noticed.
“What’s really interesting to see now is more the connection on the fans side of things. We were connected but not engaging as much now.
“That’s credit to what Mikel has done as a unit with his staff. As a player he’s probably learned a lot about what it means to actually be on the other side as well, what the fans experience. He gets that engagement which helps the club.
Walcott recalled a moment in training with Arteta when the Spaniard showed his winning mentality and determination to not let the team standards slipped.
He revealed: “When we weren’t playing well when we were challenging for top four, there was a time when he stopped training and pulled everyone for a meeting.
“That’s how engaged he was because he knew how important it was, not just for the club, but the fans and people associated with the club.”
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