Ederson reveals how Mikel Arteta “helped” Manchester City’s strikers “a lot” | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta played a key role in developing Manchester City’s strikers during his time at the Etihad Stadium, former Sky Blue goalkeeper Ederson has revealed.

The Brazilian shot-stopper, who moved into Turkish football last summer following a trophy-laden eight-season spell in Manchester, remains one of the few players to have witnessed Arteta’s coaching transition first-hand.

Between 2016 and 2019, Mikel Arteta served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach, in a period that saw Manchester City shatter Premier League records and secure a historic domestic quadruple.

While Arteta is now the primary obstacle standing between City and another league title, his legacy in the North West is often cited as the catalyst for the individual improvements of players like Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus.

And as Manchester City prepare for their upcoming top-flight clash against the Gunners, Ederson’s newest comments provide a fascinating insight into the meticulous training ground methods that have now made Arsenal a juggernaut of their own.

How Arteta’s “socks off” mentality shaped City

Speaking exclusively to Flashscore, Ederson was quizzed on his experiences working with now-Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during the Spaniard’s time as Manchester City assistant coach at the Etihad Stadium.

“It was very good. [Mikel] Arteta is a very intelligent guy, he’s young. He has a lot of potential to be a great coach,” said the Brazilian international.

Ederson recalls Arteta’s impact on City’s attacking stars

Ederson continued, “At [Manchester] City he helped the strikers a lot, he did a lot of work on finishing and in training, when a player was missing – either through injury or as a substitute – he always played and, well, he played his socks off.”

Manchester City’s current crop, spearheaded by Erling Haaland, will be looking to use those very same finishing principles to now dismantle a Chelsea side managed by Liam Rosenior this weekend before the ‘main event’ against Arsenal.

With City trailing the Gunners by nine points – albeit with a game in hand – the psychological warfare is beginning to ramp up in the final weeks and matches of the 2025/26 campaign.

And revelations about Mikel Arteta’s hands-on approach serve as a reminder that the man plotting Manchester City’s downfall this campaign knows exactly how their attacking patterns were built from the ground up.