William Gallas believes Arsenal made a mistake by appointing Mikel Arteta as manager in 2019.
The Gunners gave the Spaniard his first job in management after sacking Unai Emery, with Arteta winning the FA Cup at the end of the delayed 2019-2020 campaign.
However, his first full season in charge saw the Gunners finish eighth, meaning they missed out on a place in Europe. They were also beaten by Villarreal in the semi-final of the Europa League.
William Gallas (L) believes Arsenal made a mistake by appointing Mikel Arteta (R) as manager
And Gallas, who played for Arsenal from 2006-2010, believes the step into top-level management came too soon for the 39-year-old.
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‘Mikel Arteta was not ready yet to manage a club like Arsenal,’ the Frenchman told The Sun.
‘OK, he was assistant coach at Manchester City. But he had never managed a team. It is completely different.
The former defender says the 39-year-old was ‘not ready’ to manage a club like Arsenal
‘The board made a mistake picking him. I’m sure he will be a great manager but you need to have experience to manage a big club.
‘To be honest, it is a great shame for the Arsenal fans after finishing eighth.
‘Arsenal is not the same Arsenal we knew 18, 20 years ago. We had players who were strong with strong personalities.’
Gallas joined the Gunners from Chelsea as part of a swap deal for Ashley Cole, with the Blues also paying their London rivals £5million.
The defender made 142 appearance in four years but was unable to win a trophy before making the switch to rivals Tottenham in 2010.
The club finished eighth in the Premier League and also lost in the Europa League semi-final