The boss of his great rivals is also a close friend.
Ahead of the first North London derby of the 2014/15 season between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, Mikel Arteta has revealed Mauricio Pochettino is like a father figure.
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The Gunners captain was signed for Paris Saint-Germain as an 18-year-old when Pochettino was captain of the Ligue 1 club and the Argentine treated the midfielder as a son.
“He was like a dad, even if he doesn’t like that word but he really looked after me,” Arteta was quoted by the Mirror.
“I always appreciate what he did for me when I started my career, all the advice that he gave me. He has been a top person in my career.”
Pochettino took over at White Hart Lane in the summer having impressed at Southampton over the previous 16 months, although things haven’t started as positively with Spurs.
So far the North London outfit have earned seven points from their first five Premier League games, although disappointingly lost at home to West Bromwich Albion last time out.
Against Arsene Wenger’s side it will be a tough encounter as they have started well in the English top tier, although most supporters will tell you anything can happen in a derby.
Arteta is likely to start the match as skipper and will have the chance to get one over on his former mentor.