Arsenal news: How Mikel Arteta transformed an NFL team in just one conversation with the coach

The power of persuasion and player management is one of the most important weapons for a manager in modern football. This is how, beyond the tactical side, Mikel Arteta has been successful at Arsenal since December 2019, transforming a team without self-esteem and playing a supporting role into a title contender in England.

The Spanish manager's capacity for influence is so great that, in one conversation, he managed to help the Los Angeles Rams, an NFL franchise owned by the same owner as the Gunners (Kroenke Sports & Entertainment), turn things around last season.

Arteta visited the team's facilities during an international break last year and made Rams head coach Sean McVay forget the defeat to the Miami Dolphins in week 10, which represented the fifth loss in a poor start to the regular season.

"Mikel came into Sean's office and they spent two hours talking about connecting with players, ideas and things that Mikel had done," explained Kevin Demoff, Rams president, to the BBC.

"Sean took a step back from the daily routine of 'we just lost to Miami' and started thinking 'this is what makes a great leader, this is how we do things'," he explained.

Rams surge after Arteta conversation

After that conversation, the California franchise won six of their next seven matches, claimed the NFC West Division title and only fell in the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

"Then we had an incredible run, and I genuinely believe that Sean was reinvigorated by that conversation with Mikel. I give Mikel credit for part of our turnaround last season," he added.

Arteta's way of leading at Arsenal has inspired McVay since he watched the Amazon Prime documentary series "Arsenal All or Nothing", which showed behind-the-scenes footage from the 2021-22 season. One episode in particular struck the Rams coach: when then-Gunners player Aubameyang was dropped for arriving late to training, despite being one of the team's best players.

"Sean watched and said: 'I do not know if I would have dealt with [Aubameyang] the way Mikel dealt with it'. He took a lot of strength from the way Mikel faced adversity, [and thought]: 'This is what I want to improve on'," said Demoff.

Last October, when the Rams played at Wembley for the NFL's international fixture, Arteta also demonstrated his admiration for his colleague. "Sean is someone I admire greatly, not only for what he has achieved, but for the way he is as a coach, as a person, for the way he presents himself. I learn a lot from him," he said.

Arteta and McVay inspire Kroenke ownership

McVay took over the Rams at 30 years old in 2017 and won the Super Bowl six years later. Arteta arrived at the Gunners when he was 37. Two young, promising figures in their roles, who have built long-term trajectories that inspire KSE, which also owns the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL and the Colorado Rapids of MLS.

"[They share] that energy, that passion, that empathy. They are like sponges – they absorb everything and encourage reflection. They are brave in that sense. They ask the players what they think," said Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick.

"I see a lot of that in their relationship. What they talk about most is the connection with the players, how that manifests itself and how it translates within the group," reiterated Demoff, who also stated that the competitive nature of Arteta and McVay "is what drives them".

When Arteta trained Arsenal during a pre-season at the Los Angeles Rams facilities, he noticed the number of cameras recording the players' performance and thought: "This is exactly the kind of thing we need to do." The Spanish manager's team played two friendly matches at the Californian side's SoFi Stadium.

Even before the pair took charge of KSE teams, the exchange between Gunners and Rams was being used, as in 2012, when, after training at the English club's training ground, the American franchise adopted physical monitoring devices to track athletes' workload that were being used in London.

This article was originally published on Trivela.