David Moyes believes Mikel Arteta hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves at Arsenal since joining the club.
Arteta has slowly built up a solid squad at the Gunners and they are now top of the Premier League after nine games of the season.
Not so long ago, the Spaniard was apparently under pressure.
Moyes, who managed Arteta at Everton, believes no one was giving Arsenal the respect they should have and it has come as no shock that they are now sitting at the top of the table.
Asked if he thinks Arteta will become a top manager, the West Ham manager told talkSPORT Breakfast: “It doesn’t surprise me. I used to listen to talkSPORT regularly and a lot of people here criticized Arsenal at the recent years.
“I think Arsenal were a really good team for a while when nobody gave them respect.
” They brought [Martin] Odegaard who has made a real difference in the position he plays for them and makes it really tough.
“I think Mikel had an idea of what he thinks it should look like. After working with Pep [Guardiola] for a few years and giving him these tips on how to prepare a good team, it was just that I felt like no one was giving Mikel any credit.
“He’s a real diligent lad, a young manager learning his way, he’ll make a few mistakes along the way, but I did it and everyone does when you’re in management in the early years.
“He’s not half building a good team. Sometimes you have to be lucky to have good young players at your club when you arrive. And I think Arsenal have good young players in their system.
Moyes himself has enjoyed great success at West Ham over the past two years, regularly challenging for European places in the Premier League.
Last season, they reached the semi-final of the Europa League before losing to Eintracht Frankfurt.
The club have spent £150million on transfers this summer and as a result have started the season slowly while they catch up.
Now things are on track and looking up rather than down.
Moyes added: “This year we actually have a stronger group of players. It made our starting XI, whether in Europe or the Premier League, stronger.
“As managers, we ask for a little time for things to settle down. In general, for two and a half years, we have made progress.
“From where we started, at fourth or fifth bottom in the league trying to get out of relegation, to being fourth or fifth top in the Premier League last season for long stretches. That takes time.
“It’s not just about doing something in a year, but trying to do it consistently, that’s the hardest part.”