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ARSENAL legend Ian Wright believed Alex Iwobi would have thrived under Mikel Arteta, adding the Gunners made a mistake in selling the midfielder.
The Nigeria international left the Gunners for Goodison Park in 2019 for a fee rising to £35million.
Iwobi has struggled on Merseyside but he’s found a new lease of life under Frank Lampard this season, with the former Chelsea boss playing the midfielder in a more central area.
The 26-year-old was heavily criticized during his time at the Gunners, particularly following Arsene Wenger’s departure.
The Gunners have rebuilt under Arteta and their brand of football now is the closest it’s been to what fans had grown accustomed to under the Frenchman.
And Wright believed that Iwobi was a victim of the upheaval at the Emirates, with the Gunners legend saying he’s now the sort of player that Arteta wants.
“I’m so pleased with the way it’s going for him. I remember Arsenal fans, it’s the same thing they did with Oxlade-Chamberlain, they ridiculed him. I remember watching him play in midfield early days for Arsenal at West Ham, and you’re seeing something,” said Wright on the Wright’s House Podcast.
“His ball progression and work rate, what Frank has now recognized him and put him there, listen to the Everton fans when he’s doing his work, they are adoring him now. I’m loving the way it’s working out for Iwobi.”
He equally noted:“I’m just talking about somebody who’s making a massive difference to what Everton needs – the work rate, his ball progression, his passing, everything. He’s the pass before the assist, people don’t realize it. Everton fans are now starting to realize that if they get the right players in and around him, he’s going to be a force for them.
“You look at his work rate, it’s unbelievable. It’s the kind of intensity that Mikel wants now and needs now, we need that, and we need somebody who can press like that.”
-The Nation
KN
Tags: ALEX Iwobi Arsenal Ian Wright Mikel Arteta
