Mikel Arteta lived in hotel with ‘big brother’ Mauricio Pochettino for three months as Arsenal and Chelsea bosses open up on ‘bromance’

Mikel Arteta has revealed he and Mauricio Pochettino lived in a hotel together for three months when they joined Paris Saint-Germain.

The Arsenal boss will meet his Chelsea counterpart on the touchline on Saturday, with the latter saying the former is 'part of my family'.

Arteta joined PSG on loan from Barcelona B in 2001 and Pochettino signed during the same window from Espanyol.

During their spells in Paris they made 39 appearances together on the pitch, with Arteta returning to his parent club after 18 months.

Ahead of Arsenal's trip to Chelsea, he hailed Pochettino's influence on him during the early stages of his career: «It was my first professional opportunity in Paris.

»We just arrived at the same time, we lived together in a hotel for three months. It was critical, he has been one of the most influential people in my football career, first of all as a player, he took me under his arm and he looked after me like a little brother.

«He was a big part of the success I had in Paris, he really looked after me, he gave me a lot of confidence, a lot of advice and he's been a role model for me since that day.

»Not only as a player when I was a player but as a manager as well because I had to make the decision to leave playing and start my coaching career. He had a big say on that and I will be always grateful to him for what he has done for me."

Speaking in his press conference later on Friday, Chelsea boss Pochettino said: «You know very well that Mikel is part of my family.»

«Amazing memories,» he added when asked about his time at PSG with Arteta. «When you connect with a person like him, we share the values and the passion of football.

»I can tell you he's part of my family from day one when we arrived in Paris, we