During his time as both a player and a manager, Arteta has worked with the likes of Olivier Giroud, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gabriel Jesus.
Arteta has been lucky enough to work with some truly fantastic strikers at the Emirates, and speaking to Goal on TikTok, he’s now stated that one striker he worked with was absolutely perfect as a number nine.
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Arsenal had a perfect number nine
The current Arsenal boss was playing a game of word association, and he was asked to quickly describe Robin Van Persie as a player.
Arteta was full of praise for Van Persie, claiming that he was the perfect number nine during his time at Arsenal.
“Robin Van Persie?” Arteta was asked.
“The perfect nine,” Arteta said.
Arsenal need another Robin Van Persie
There’s been a lot of chat in recent months about how Arsenal need a new striker to reach the next level.
The Gunners do need a more clinical centre-forward to lead their line, and what they wouldn’t give to have a player like Van Persie in their squad now.
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As Arteta says, Van Persie was almost perfect as a number nine.
He had it all, intelligence, strength, a wand of a left-foot and an incredible ability to find the back of the net from any angle.
Van Persie was arguably the best player in the Premier League for a period of time, and while he may be best remembered for single-handedly winning Manchester United the title after his £24m move from Arsenal, he should also be remembered as a legend for the Gunners as well.
It was difficult to stomach Van Persie’s departure at Arsenal, but now, a decade on, it’s much easier to reflect on what a fantastic player the Dutchman was during his time in north London.
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