Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta 'feels part' of Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl challenge as he praises 'special' Sean McVay
Stan Kroenke is the owner of both Mike Arteta's Arsenal and Sean McVay's Los Angeles Rams; watch the Rams face the Seattle Seahawks for a place at Super Bowl LX in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, live on Sky Sports NFL at 11.30pm on Sunday.
Sunday 25 January 2026 09:18, UK
Stan Kroenke just became America's largest private landowner. The Arsenal and Los Angeles Rams owner could yet boast supremacy on the world's sporting landscape.
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal face Manchester United this Sunday having entered the weekend carrying a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Hours later Sean McVay's Rams will meet the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL's NFC Championship Game for a place at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California on February 8.
Arteta is vying to win his first Premier League title after three straight runners-up finishes, while McVay is seeking to lift the Lombardi Trophy for a second time after becoming the youngest head coach in history to win a Super Bowl at the age of 36 in February 2022.
The two have built a close friendship away from the field, Arteta admitting he feels 'part' of McVay and the Rams' Super Bowl charge.
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"I'm a huge fan of his," Arteta told Sky Sports. "First of all, his passion, his work ethic, his knowledge, his memory. I've been there and seen him live in meetings and training sessions, it's a different level.
"He is someone really, really special. What they have done in the last few years is incredible.
"Sunday we have a massive game, and I say 'we' because I really feel very much part of it. The last two games they won with the last kick of the game, by very small margins, and they are one game off reaching the Super Bowl again, so I wish them all the very best."
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) group appointed McVay to his first head coach job at the age of 30 in 2017, before hiring Arteta at the age of 37 in 2019, seeking two of the brightest young minds in their respective fields to spearhead a chapter of perennial title contention.
McVay has since established himself as one of the greatest offensive minds in modern history, with Arteta following suit as an intricate, meticulous tactician inspiring Arsenal's ascent as one of the most polished and well-drilled sides in world football.
Arteta, whose set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has drawn comparisons to the NFL's play-by-play choreography, explained how he continues to take inspiration from his long-distance colleague.
"There are a lot of set pieces, but it is a very different game," Arteta continued. "Just the preparation, I am amazed. But it is part of the education of those kids, how they are raised and the number of meetings they have, the amount of information, the specialists they have for every part of the field.
"There are always things to learn from other sports, especially coaches and their visions, and how they prioritise information and things to deliver. It's been an incredible experience to get to know Sean and his staff."
MVP favourite Matthew Stafford leads McVay's Rams into Seattle on the back of their 20-17 overtime victory against the Chicago Bears in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. Awaiting them is divisional rival Seattle, who stormed to a 41-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers having entered the postseason as the NFC's No 1 seed.
The Rams and Seahawks have met twice already this season, winning one apiece. McVay's offense, which led the league in total yards, passing and scoring, take on a defense that ranked No 1 in points allowed.
Victory would mean a Super Bowl showdown against either the Denver Broncos or New England Patriots, who face off in the AFC Championship Game.
A Premier League, Champions League and Super Bowl treble, anybody?
"Let's go game by game!" said Arteta.
Watch the Denver Broncos face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and the Los Angeles Rams against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, live on Sky Sports NFL from 7.30pm on Sunday January 25.
