Laugh a little bit - How did Mourinho react to Arsenal's appointment of Arteta?

A 2019 comment from Jose Mourinho has resurfaced, in which the then-Tottenham boss appeared to aim a dig at Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

The comment came just days after Arteta was appointed as the new Arsenal manager, replacing interim boss Freddie Ljungberg.

Mourinho seemed bemused that Carlo Ancelotti, a seasoned manager with three Champions League titles, was managing Everton at the time, while Arsenal had opted for Arteta, who had never managed a club before.

"The only point I can find, and it is for us to laugh a little bit, is that years ago the best managers were the guys with more victories and now the best is the guy with the fewest defeats," Mourinho said.

Mourinho went on to praise Ancelotti's impressive managerial record.

"Ancelotti has three Champions Leagues, won the league in Italy, France and England and won cups here and there but Ancelotti has lost, I don’t know, 200 matches?"

Mourinho's comment was seen as a jab at Arteta's lack of managerial experience at the time.

However, since taking over at Arsenal, Arteta has overseen 269 matches and has one major honour to his name, an FA Cup win in 2020.

Arteta's Arsenal side is currently pushing for the Premier League title, and it remains to be seen whether they can finally pip table toppers to the top spot.

Regardless of the outcome, Arteta has undoubtedly done a remarkable job of rebuilding Arsenal's squad and expectations since his appointment in 2019.