The Arsenal manager, 43, will face off with his former Manchester City associate on Wednesday (26.11.25) when the German side visits at the Emirates Stadium in the UEFA Champions League group stage, and Arteta has got nothing but praise for the 39-year-old Bavarians head coach.
Speaking with TNT Sports, Arteta said: “I didn’t know if he wanted to be a manager or a CEO or a president … I think he had the capacity to do whatever he wanted.
“[He’s] so passionate about the game. Unbelievable, hard-working person. Very intelligent. Someone who can transmit a message in different languages. I’m very happy to see that he’s doing well.”
Arteta and Kompany worked together at Manchester City from 2016 to 2019 - with the Arsenal boss as assistant to Pep Guardiola and Bayern’s manager as the club captain - which gave the Spaniard a front-row seat to the Belgian’s leadership and footballing brain.
Arteta noted: “It was while back in Belgium that Kompany moved into management, and in 2022, he returned to England, guiding Burnley to promotion to the Premier League.”
Since taking over Bayern in 2024, Kompany has overseen a remarkable turnaround, seeing the club win all but one of their 18 matches across all competitions this season - the only slip being a 2-2 draw against Union Berlin earlier this month.
That run has Bayern atop both the Bundesliga and their Champions League group.
Even so, Arteta says the strength of Bayern under Kompany is exactly what makes facing them so compelling.
He said: “They are in a great moment. The level of consistency they show in results, performances, in every metric that they have, it’s very, very impressive.”
Arteta added that the match represents “a massive opportunity … for us to show what we are capable of”.
Meanwhile, Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber has the Gunners are fully up for the challenge of Bayern.
The 24-year-old said: “Bayern Munich are a great team. They have amazing players and they are in form as well.
“They are playing great, and they have a new manager who is doing amazing… It’s going to be a good test for us … But also a fun challenge.”
