“He’s Arteta’s secret weapon and most valuable asset in the team, we see him as the team leader and mentor, he told Arteta to sub off Declan Rice in the 70th minute”- Arsenal star Bukayo Saka praises Arsenal’s secret weapon which Mikel Arteta hijacked from Pep Guardiola at Man City.

Bukayo Saka expressed his admiration for Arsenal’s set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, who was recruited by Mikel Arteta from rival Manchester City. Jover, a tactical genius originally hailing from Germany and France, reunited with Arteta in 2021 after their collaboration under Pep Guardiola at City. His coaching journey includes stints with Brentford, the Croatian national team, and French side Montpellier, earning him the label of a “genius” from those behind the scenes.

Saka praised Jover following Arsenal’s impressive 5-0 victory against Crystal Palace, highlighting the team’s success with two set-piece goals. The young winger credited Nico, their set-piece coach, for his hard work and enjoyable approach. Saka emphasized their commitment to improvement, stating, “We work on everything… to be the best team in the world.”

In November, Leandro Trossard, who scored against Palace, also commended Jover, expressing pleasure in working with him and acknowledging his clever set-piece strategies. Arsenal brought in Jover in the summer of 2021 to replace Andreas Gorgson, and Arteta justified the decision, citing Jover’s valuable expertise.

Jover has delivered as anticipated by Arteta, contributing to Arsenal’s position just two points off the top of the Premier League table. Arteta expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “They are great players, we have a great team… It was a win with a clean sheet and we scored five goals which we really needed.”