I was at Arsenal for 11 years and never won the title but my old captain Arteta can bring it home – the fans deserve it
AARON RAMSEY has backed ex-team-mate Mikel Arteta to finally lead Arsenal to the Premier League title.
The Wales captain, 32, spent 11 years with the Gunners between 2008-2019, winning the FA Cup three times including two final match-winning goals in 2014 and 2017.
Ramsey failed to bring the Prem back to the Emirates but reckons Arteta’s side, who hold an eight-point advantage over Manchester City, will land their first crown since the Invincibles of 2004.
Ramsey said: “Of course, I hope Arsenal win the title. The club is still a massive part of me. I spent 10, 11 years there and it would be absolutely great for them to go on and win the league.
“I’m as much a fan as anybody. I still know so many players and members of staff there. And the fans – they deserve it.”
Ramsey, who now plays for Nice in France, lined up alongside Arteta in the centre of midfield for five years until the now Arsenal boss retired in 2016.
The Spaniard was the club captain for two of those years but Rambo says he knew the 41-year-old would go on to be a manager.
Ramsey added: “Mikel was my captain for a few years there and you could see his leadership qualities and the way that he handled himself was second to none.
“You could see back then when I was playing with him that he was always going to be a manager one day, the way he thought and saw the game and how intense he was as well.
“What he has done is absolutely unbelievable, what they are doing at the moment and hopefully they can go all the way.”
Arteta undertook his coaching badges with the Football Association of Wales.
He was still an Arsenal player when the ex-Everton and Rangers ace turned up to start his A licence at Dragon Park in 2015.
As part of the course, the Basque-born star coached the Wales Under-16 squad which went on to win the Victory Shield.
Then, after completing the A licence, Arteta joined former Arsenal greats Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg on the 2017 Pro licence.
And ex-Juventus midfielder Ramsey, who was appointed as Wales skipper for the second time after Chris Coleman took it off him and gave it to Ashley Williams in 2012 following the tragic death of Gary Speed, says he would have chats with Arteta about life in his homeland.
Ramsey, preparing for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Latvia in Cardiff on Tuesday, said: “We used to talk about the coaching courses and he would tell me how impressed he was with the Welsh setup, their methods and the way that they go about things.
“They have done a fantastic job in producing some top managers and a lot of people are coming through that programme at the moment. It has been second to none.”