'When he speaks, he is like a wizard' – Iwobi recounts first meeting with Arsene Wenger

Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi has reflected on his time at the Arsenal youth team and his early encounters with Arsene Wenger.

The Super Eagles star in a recent interview detailed how a piece of advice from the former Gunners manager served as a big motivation for him as a lad in the Arsenal academy.

Iwobi, 26, also described the ex-French coach as a wizard, a man of few words.

“When I was training in the academy, he did not really say much, he is quite reserved, and when he speaks, he is like a wizard, everything just stops, you don’t even hear birds, Iwobi told Super Sports.

“There was a day I was training, and I had like two shots, and they just went over the bar, and he said, be patient, just take your time, and just hearing that from him, giving me advice, it was a big moment for me,” he said.

Iwobi also shed light on how excited he was when he was going to sign his first Arsenal deal.

“I was excited to sign for Arsenal, my family had worked so hard for this, and I could tell my friends ‘I am playing for Arsenal,’ I was buzzing, it was a big club, one of the biggest clubs in the world.”

Wenger, now 73, handed Iwobi his first-team debut against Sheffield Wednesday in October 2015.

The Nigerian international scored 15 goals and provided 25 assists in 149 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners.

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