"He’s had to deal with all of that" - Darren Bent lauds Mikel Arteta for getting rid of 2 problematic ex-Arsenal stars

Former England international Darren Bent has heaped praise on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for the way he jettisoned Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Matteo Guendouzi from the team.

Former Arsenal captain Aubameyang was frozen out after a disciplinary breach in December 2021. The Gunners eventually dissolved the Gabon international’s contract, allowing him to join Barcelona as a free agent in January 2022.

Guendouzi, meanwhile, was sold back to Marseille a year after the Londoners signed him. According to The Mirror, the French midfielder displayed temperamental issues during his short sting at the Emirates m, which is why fans were happy to see him leave.

Bent has lauded Arteta for dealing with the pair and added that the Spaniard would be counted among the very best if he takes his team to Premier League glory. On talkSPORT, Bent said:

“Clearly, every decision he has had to make up until this point has been the right one, whether that be getting rid of Ozil when he did, getting rid of Aubameyang, Guendouzi, people forget about Guendouzi, his little shenanigans that were going on. He’s had to deal with all of that.

“He’s had to put his trust and his faith in some of these younger players, even £50 million for Ben White, people were like: ‘what?’ All of a sudden, what a signing that looks like. The job he’s done at Arsenal has been phenomenal. And if he was to win the Premier League with Arsenal this season, that puts him right up there with some of the best in the world.”

The north London outfit have a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League. They return to league action against Crystal Palace on Sunday (March 19).

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard wins Premier League Player of the Year

The Gunners took home all the big prizes at the London Football Awards on Monday evening (March 13). Their captain, Martin Odegaard, bagged the most prestigious award of the lot, winning the Premier League Player of the Year.

Odegaard has emerged as one of Arsenal’s best players as they look to win their first Premier League title since 2004. The former Real Madrid man has featured in 26 league games for Arteta’s side this season, scoring ten times and providing seven assists.

The 23-year-old has also shown exemplary leadership.

Arteta, Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale were also honoured at the London Football Awards. Arteta was chosen as the Manager of the Year, Saka the Best Young Player of the Year and Ramsdale the Best Goalkeeper of the Year.