Gallas criticises Arteta for not being a world-class coach

Former Arsenal captain William Gallas has publicly criticised current manager Mikel Arteta, saying he has made "unacceptable" mistakes over the past two seasons and questioned whether he is a world-class manager.

Gallas believes that Arteta's inadequate decision-making in the transfer market, especially the failure to sign a top striker, has led to the team finishing second for two consecutive seasons and may repeat the same mistake this season. In addition, he also bluntly stated that Arteta lacks the "mentality to win the championship."

"Signing a striker seems to be a blind spot for Arteta," Gallas said in an interview. "That's why Arsenal have finished second for two consecutive seasons and it may be the same this year."

"Every season, you need to bring in one or two players to strengthen the squad and stimulate internal competition. In the summer of 2023, they should have signed a top striker, but they didn't. The same thing happened in the summer of 2024. This mistake happened two years in a row, which is totally unacceptable."

Gallas also criticized Arteta's mentality in team management: "Arteta does not have the temperament of a champion. Arsenal makes the same mistakes every year, and the coach has not changed. I don't want to hear excuses, I don't want to hear explanations about injuries. A coach who really has a championship mentality will not use these excuses, they will find a solution."

Arteta added: "Arteta is a player himself and he should know that injuries can happen at any time, which is why you need to have a strong squad. To win the league title, it is not enough to rely on 11 starters."

Gallas also compared Arteta to other coaches: "At the moment Arteta is a good coach, but not a world-class coach. A world-class coach makes a difference and wins titles. Look at Arne Slot, it was his first season as Liverpool coach and no one thought he would win the Premier League, but he did it."

"People might say Slot has a good squad, but Arsenal had a good squad last season and Arteta trusted the players too much. The squad should be stronger this season but the performance is not as good as last season."