Unai Emery suggested he was not given the time he needed at Arsenal as he claimed Mikel Arteta is "continuing what I began" at the Emirates.
Emery was appointed Gunners boss in 2018 after Arsene Wenger left the role he had occupied for 22 years. The Spaniard led the North Londoners to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League and to the Europa League final, where they were defeated by Chelsea.
Results took a turn for the worse during Emery's second season in charge and he was sacked in November 2019 following a run of seven games without a win. Arteta was unveiled as his compatriot's replacement one month later and steered Arsenal to an FA Cup triumph just eight months into the job.
It has not all been plain sailing, however, and there were calls for Arteta to be sacked with the club languishing in 15th in the table at Christmastime in 2020. Emirates chiefs ultimately decided to keep the faith with their former midfielder and they appear to be reaping the rewards of that decision as the Gunners are favourites to finish fourth and secure Champions League football, even if they were dealt a setback with a 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Monday.
Arteta has relied heavily on his crop of exciting youngsters including Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli, each of whom made their debuts while Emery was in the dugout. Now in charge at Villarreal, the 50-year-old has been monitoring Arsenal's progress from afar and he believes his successor has been benefiting from the project he set in motion.
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"Saka and Smith Rowe began to play with me," he told The Athletic. "I gave Saka his Premier League debut against Fulham, on January 1, when he was 17. You had to work with these young players, to replace those who were there before. Gabriel Martinelli, who arrived then too - I knew he was a player who would grow." Emery added: "Arteta is doing a good job, continuing what I began. He has had that patience from the fans, the patience they did not have with me. But I understand that."
Saka and Smith Rowe top the scoring charts for Arsenal this season with 10 goals apiece, while the former has also chipped in with five assists. The Gunners sit fifth in the table with a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham and they will aim to return to winning ways as they host Brighton on Saturday afternoon.
