Former Arsenal defender William Gallas says the club made a mistake hiring Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners went backwards in Arteta's first full season in charge as they missed out on Europe qualification with an eighth placed finish.
Gallas expects Arteta to develop as a top manager but believes it was not the right time to
"Mikel Arteta was not ready yet to manage a club like Arsenal," Gallas, who spent four years at the Emirates as a player, told The Sun.
"OK, he was assistant coach at Manchester City. But he had never managed a team. It is completely different.
"The board made a mistake picking him. I'm sure he will be a great manager but you need to have experience to manage a big club.
"To be honest, it is a great shame for the Arsenal fans after finishing eighth.
"Arsenal is not the same Arsenal we knew 18, 20 years ago. We had players who were strong with strong personalities."
