Soccer
Theo Walcott names the one Arsenal player Arsene Wenger was 'afraid of'
Check your region for UCL & UWCL on DAZN
Theo Walcott revealed that Arsene Wenger was “afraid” of current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
Wenger brought Arteta to the Emirates from Everton as a player, and after he retired he moved on to be assistant coach at Manchester City.
He then returned to Arsenal as manager, replacing Unai Emery, and he has transformed them into a side capable of pushing Manchester City hard in the last two title races.
Arteta is once again a popular figure in North London, and Walcott - a team-mate of Arteta under Wenger - revealed his leadership qualities left even Wenger a little intimidated.
He told William Hill: “The turning point for me in terms of how I viewed Mikel Arteta was an experience I had with him as a player at Arsenal.
“It was at a time when we weren’t making the top four. We had training in 30 minutes and he locked all the players in the dressing room, as if he was the manager.
“He was taking control of the whole space and telling us how it is. In that moment it was like he was the manager, and that was the turning point for me. That’s when I thought he could go on to be a manager.
“Arsène Wenger was waiting for us to come outside for training but we weren’t coming out because Mikel stopped the training session. He was such a strong character that even Arsène was afraid of him."
Live on DAZN: Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez on June 29. Click here for details .
