Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar has a powerful message to the supporters of Arsenal FC. The world’s most expensive player is a big believer in his former manager Unai Emery, who took the reins at the Emirates in May and has the north London side off to a solid start.
After winning 11 in a row across all competitions, the Gunners have drawn their last three Premier League contests and sit just three points outside the top four. Still it’s a major improvement from where they were last year in the final season of the Arsene Wenger era, and they are undefeated in their last 16 in all competitions.
Emery, who won a domestic treble at PSG last season, but still left the club after failing to progress beyond the quarterfinal round of the UEFA Champions League, once admitted that Neymar had more power the club than he did. (I guess that comes with the territory of a £200 million transfer fee!).
If Emery and Neymar had a strained relationship in Paris, as has been reported, it’s all water under the bridge now.
“I was really happy to work with him because he’s a really hard working guy,” Neymar said at a news conference at the Emirates Stadium today.
“He really wanted to coach us and really wanted to study about football. I think he will bring good things for Arsenal, which is a really huge and important club here in England. I wish him luck.”
Neymar and Brazil will face Uruguay in an international friendly in London tonight.
“Arsenal are playing really great football. They are coming from a great run in recent matches and everybody knows he’s a really great coach,” the former Barcelona man added.
Arsenal have taken 24 points from their first dozen league matches. Their only losses in 2018-19 came to league title contenders Manchester City and Chelsea, and that was in the first two matches of the season.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.