Arteta Names His Four Guiding Mentors: Wenger Among the Pillars Behind Arsenal's Rise

Arteta credits four mentors, Wenger among them

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reveals he often wonders what Arsene Wenger would do in challenging moments as he leads the club toward trophies this season.

With a North London derby looming against Tottenham this Sunday, Arsenal sits on top of the Premier League by three points, and Arteta is chasing Wenger's level of success in league titles.

Last week, Arteta listed Wenger as one of four principal mentors, alongside Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino, and David Moyes.

While the other three remain active in football and have been direct rivals at times, Arteta says he still keeps Wenger close in his thoughts about Arsenal — though he doesn't always need guidance.

In a Sky Sports interview at Arsenal's training ground, Arteta said: "He is there. He lives with me in the moment. Without what he gave me, and what he planted inside me, and what he allowed me to experience within this club, I wouldn't be here."

He adds: "After that comes your turn to show what you think is best."

ARTETA described Wenger’s aura: "Arsene possesses aura and character that keep him present. When I think through decisions, I always circle back to how he would have approached it."

He continued: "Then there are also what I learned from Guardiola, and from my father and mother. We are formed by these experiences and these figures; sometimes you don’t even need to contact them, because the example they set is enough to guide you."

Arteta elaborated on his thinking style: "I like to be in your position as well. I want to treat you in a way that if we swapped chairs, I would treat you the same. When I think of a player, I wonder: let me sit in his chair and see how he thinks. Maybe I’ll get a better read on the situation."

Regarding whom to turn to for leadership, he said: "The players first. If I’m emotionally off or missing something, I usually go to them, or to the staff. Then comes my family, and then the four mentors who have been a huge part of my life. I wouldn’t be here without them."

"They inspired me in their own fields. They are a part of me. Sometimes I don’t even need to call them, because the best guide is the example they set — the standards and behaviors I learned from them in key moments. Maybe that’s the best you can do."

"Natural development..."

This season Arteta has appeared calmer and more composed, whether on the touchline, in press conferences, or in dealing with daily pressures as the club chases silverware.

He remarked: "This is natural growth for a person. Many things happened in the last two or three seasons that have directly shaped who I am today."

He added that the team’s needs, the understanding of what’s required, and the kind of manager and leader the squad needs now may differ from a couple of seasons ago. He noted this can be measured on the sideline, in press briefings, and in daily issues inside the squad. As a father, he observed his children are at different stages and require different things from him now.

"I have been here six years; people around me have changed, and they send me different messages now," Arteta concluded. He hopes this season’s results can deliver positives after five barren years, especially in the hunt for trophies.

One thing, however, has not changed: Arteta’s unbeaten run against Tottenham at the Emirates, a record spanning his time as both player and coach, in ten matches.

Looking ahead, the Spaniard faces a significant challenge: reordering the defense in the absence of Brazil’s Gabriel Magalhaes, one of the team's top performers this season.

Gabriel’s absence has heightened the responsibility on the backline, which has conceded five goals in 11 games this term. The options to replace him include Ecuador’s Piero Hincapi and Spain’s Cristian Moscis—an adjustment that could reshape Arsenal’s defensive balance and the timing of set-piece threats, where Gabriel has been particularly influential alongside William Saliba.

End of the analysis, with only a touch of light humor to keep things grounded: if Arteta’s thought process were a podcast, the episode would begin with Wenger’s playbook, feature Guardiola’s mic drop moments, and end with Moyes giving the classroom timer a sympathetic look. Sniper-style precision: if patience is a weapon, Arteta’s brought a tranquilizer—calm, accurate, and just in time for kickoff. And for Spurs fans: the only thing more nerve-wracking than facing Arsenal is realizing your bus has to take a detour through a trophy cabinet you haven’t opened in years."