Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has backed Enzo Maresca to do an “unbelievable job” after replacing Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager.
Premier League champions Arsenal and FA Cup holders City meet in the Community Shield in Cardiff on Sunday in Maresca’s first showpiece occasion since Guardiola quit at the end of last season.
Arteta, once Guardiola’s assistant at City, paid tribute to his old boss during a pre-match press conference on Friday but expects Arsenal’s title rivals to remain a force under former Chelsea manager Maresca.
“First of all for the Premier League, I think for the country, I think the way he has opened a different way of understanding the game. Here, I think he has escalated the Premier League to a different level,” Arteta said of Guardiola, who won 20 major trophies during his 10-year spell in charge of City.
