Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admits he's close to West Ham United manager David Moyes.

Arteta played under Moyes for six years during his time at Everton, who signed him from Real Sociedad in 2005 when the Spaniard was just 22. They enjoyed immediate success together, with Arteta's arrival playing an important role in the Toffees' top-four finish in 2004/05 as they reached the Champions League qualifiers.

He would go on to play over 200 times for Moyes, and admits he learnt plenty from the Scottish boss in that time that helped shape his managerial philosophy, and was happy to pay tribute to his former boss before they meet again on Boxing Day.

“He was extremely supportive all the time and everything we did together, and I have incredible memories with him because we had a very successful time together," Arteta said.

“I'm so grateful first off for the trust he always showed in me. For how much I learned of him on the field, off the field, about building a team, about getting the right characters in the team to build what you want.

“I know for sure he has been working the team really, really hard since he took over.

“He absolutely maximized the potential of that team, and took that team to a different level.

“I'm sure they have been working really hard like we all have been in this period, and it will be a very difficult contest."