Former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch has backed Mikel Arteta to win Premier League manager of the season ahead of Unai Emery regardless of whether they lift the title.
Arteta has guided Arsenal to the top of the Premier League with just eight matches to play, defying the expectations of many prior to the start of the season. But despite only arriving in November, former Arsenal boss Emery will also be in the running for the award following his terrific turn around at Aston Villa.
Villa are currently sixth in the table after an impressive 3-0 win over Newcastle United and are well in the hunt for a European finish having sat 16th, just a point ahead of the bottom three, upon his arrival. That said, Crouch believes the award should go to Arteta due to how he has proved the critics wrong and got Arsenal challenging at the top.
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Speaking on BT Sport, he said: “I know there has been a massive turnaround in Aston Villa and Newcastle’s fortunes, but he (Arteta) was getting the sack last year. People were calling for the sack – lots of people.
“The fact he’s turned that around to challenge a powerhouse like Manchester City, it’s been an incredible season for them.
“I think for Arteta to challenge and be top of the league for so long, considering how Liverpool and Manchester City were last season… if you said at the start of the season that they would be in the mix with however many games to go now, you would have given (the award) to him then.
“I think Eddie Howe, De Zerbi and Emery have done terrific jobs, but what he’s done at Arsenal has been fantastic.”
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