Mikel Arteta has had his say on Jurgen Klopp’s upcoming departure from Liverpool and the Premier League.
The Liverpool boss announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season on Friday, and Mikel was asked about his legacy at his pre-Nottingham Forest press conference on Monday.
“I think he’s made this league much better,” he said. “First of all the person, the character, the charisma, the way of transmitting his ideas and passion for the game is something special.
“He’s had a big contribution for the growth of this league and I love the way he did it. The emotion that he put in and when you see the human side explaining the reasons behind it and the challenges and everything that is related to our job, I think it was spot on.
“When someone has done what he’s done for that football club in the league you have to respect that and basically say thank you because I think he made the league better, every manager better and this league much more beautiful and intense.”
Asked if it’s harder now to be successful as a Premier League manager than it was in previous years, when Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson had long-term positions for example, Mikel said: “Arsene took his job like we all do.
“We put so many hours and our lives to it and sometimes you feel that you don’t have it anymore. It can happen when you’re a player, when you do any job, and as a manager you have to be cautious managing that energy and your time and how much you invest on that because it is extremely demanding.
“I love it, I’m young and I have a lot of energy, but I understand that after so many years, I think with Jurgen it was 24 years doing different jobs in different countries, it’s something that naturally happens.”
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