‘We are creating something special’ – Arsenal chief Edu lauds Mikel Arteta but insists club ‘don’t talk about titles’

Arsenal sporting director Edu believes the Gunners are ‘creating something special’ with Mikel Arteta at the helm.

But the Invincibles legend has insisted that no one is speaking about the prospect on ending the Gunners’ 19-year wait for the Premier League title.

Edu was a key squad member from that side that went the 2003/04 season unbeaten, with the Brazilian now enjoying a behind the scenes role at the Emirates.

Tasked with player recruitment, the 44-year-old has assembled a team capable of winning major honours in the years to come with Arsenal set to return to the Champions League for the first time since 2017.

NaijaOnPoint’s Ian Abrahams caught up with Edu at the London Football Awards on Monday where it was a night to remember for the north London outfit.

Arteta was named as the Manager of the Year, while skipper Martin Odegaard won the Best Player gong, with Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale scooping the Best Young Player and Goalkeeper awards respectively.

Edu was asked about how pleasing is it that Arteta could deliver Arsenal a league championship after the club kept faith in the Spaniard.

He said: “We don’t talk about titles. We are talking about performances, we are talking about games, we are talking about how much better can we be game to game.

“So that is what we are trying to do every weekend, but of course to have Mikel Arteta in our side, he’s shown since the first day what he is capable to do.

“And he’s shown me what he really is.

“He’s a fantastic coach, manager and person on top of it as well which you guys can see how well we are doing as a team.

“How many messages he is sending through in his interviews in terms of building good relationships with the players and with the people internally.

“So we are there, we are there. We are creating something quite special in the club.”

Pressed on whether this is start of a period of sustained success for Arsenal, Edu again played down any talk of them winning the Premier League.

He remarked: “It would be unfair to talk about the title.

“We have to talk about what we are doing at the moment and what we want to keep going.

“And then we have to carry on the way we are and keep our feet to the floor, keep humble and keep doing what we are doing at the moment and then let’s see how we are going to finish the season.”

Arsenal have the chance to extend their lead to eight points over second-placed Manchester City should they beat Crystal Palace on Sunday.