Arsenal News: David Luiz Is The Team’s ‘Role Model’ Says Mikel Arteta

Leading the younger members of Arsenal is one of David Luiz’s main priorities as a veteran. Manager Mikel Arteta emphasized that his 33-year-old defender has been one of the main mentors of the club.

Rising stars William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have the luxury of having someone like Luiz to guide them early in their careers.

“He is a really good role model for them, for who David is as a person and as a player and everything he has achieved in the game,” Arteta said by way of Goal.

Throughout Luiz’s career, he has accomplished several accolades as a professional football player. The Brazilian standout made a huge impact in his stay with Chelsea where he appeared in 248 games, netted 18 goals and tallied 12 assists.

“I think they are lucky to have him around,” Arteta added.

The potential is high for Saliba and Magalhaes as the two defenders have a lot to learn from someone of Luiz’s caliber. These young defenders can develop their game by having the former three-time English FA Cup winner lead them on and off the field.

“I think William is doing really well,” Arteta shared.

There will be big adjustments for these young players in terms of getting used to the pace and expectations of Arsenal.

“He is adapting to the country, adapting to our club. We have to bear in mind that he had a really challenging season last year with the amount of injuries that he had, but he is a player that is going to be really important in our future, things sometimes take some time and we have to respect that,” Arteta reflected.

With the club focusing on the EFL Carabao Cup, Arteta believes that his team must make the most of the situation.

“The last few seasons I think this competition for the clubs has raised [in importance], there is only one winner in the Premier League. That leaves a lot of frustrated clubs and now everybody wants a title. You can see in the last few years that teams have used strong line-ups and the types of finals we have seen in recent years,” Arteta pointed out.