Mikel Arteta mirrored his former boss Arsène Wenger last night by having trouble zipping up his coat on the sidelines.
The 42-year-old Spaniard, who played under Wenger at Arsenal from 2011 to 2016, sparked a wave of nostalgic humor among fans with the relatable moment.
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Arsène Wenger, now 75, became well-known for his comical struggles with the zip on his iconic knee-length Arsenal jacket, often caught on camera fumbling with it during matches.
Last night, following Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United, Mikel Arteta experienced a similar challenge. As he walked away from his Amazon Prime Video interview, the Gunners’ boss was spotted grappling with his coat’s zip, evoking memories of his former manager’s wardrobe mishaps.
After eventually managing to zip up his coat, Mikel Arteta seemed to see the humor in the situation, laughing at his own struggle.
The amusing moment caught the attention of former reporter Matt Scott, who shared a video clip of the incident online. He quipped, “So Mikel did take something away from his time under Wenger.”
Fans were quick to enjoy the nostalgic throwback, with one suggesting, “Haha, we need a side-by-side clip! This is brilliant!”
A second wrote: “Wenger disciple.”
And another added: “Arsenal heritage.”
While Arteta reminded fans of Wenger with his coat antics, one pundit compared him to Tony Pulis last night.
Working for Amazon Prime Video, former Tottenham and Man Utd star Dimitar Berbatov made the comparison.
He said: “Probably the Premier League is the only league in the world where you have so many players around the goalkeeper, pushing, shoving, making chaos. Normally it is going to be a foul.
“Not here. You need to be strong. And that’s probably why he [Ruben Amorim] was watching from the side, he was like, ‘What is going on with my keeper?’
“You need to work on that. As we joke, Arsenal is the new Stoke City, right?
“Depending on set-pieces, which can give you the win, as it was today.”
Tony Pulis’ Stoke were notoriously strong at set piecesCredit: PA:Press Association