Mikel Arteta expects his Arsenal players who are picked for England to ‘learn a lot’ under Thomas Tuchel, saying his English contingent seem very happy with the appointment.
Tuchel was confirmed as the next permanent England boss this week, due to take over from interim manager Lee Carsley in January.
It is the German’s first step into international management after high profile spells in charge of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Arteta rates Tuchel very highly, expecting his influence only to help Arsenal’s English players further develop.
‘They’re going to learn a lot!’ Arteta said of what his England stars can expect from working with Tuchel. ‘I think he’s one of the best coaches in the world, in my opinion, without a doubt.
‘With his experience, with the way his teams are set-up. Very exciting times.
‘I spoke to a few of the players and straight away they had smiles on their faces. That’s always a good sign.’
Arteta was asked about what the appointment of Tuchel meant for the progression of English coaches and the Spaniard paid a touching tribute to the country he has made his home for a long time.
The 42-year-old first moved to the UK in 2002 with Rangers before switching to England with Everton in 2005 and he says the fact foreign managers want to manage the Three Lions is something the country should be proud of.
‘I understand opinions and the feelings, obviously, but that’s the responsibility of the FA to say, “ok the first filter is only English managers or the filter is any manager from any country and we select the best for the moment that we are in right now.”
‘I understand that it can feel sad for some people not to have an English manager there and the history tells you as well how important this could be but I think I would take a lot of pride that a lot of managers and a lot of people would do anything to become the England manager.
‘That’s related to, as a foreigner, how we are treated in this country, how much we love the passion, the respect, the history and the way things are done in this country. I can say personally you feel so related to where you are even though you are not from here, I think that’s a huge thing and very little countries can say that.
‘For me this is like home, I’ve been here 22 years. I always feel respected, always feel welcome and inspired by this country, by the legacy and history of football and how you get treated daily. That’s something that as a country that you guys have to be so proud of.’
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