Alex Iwobi has admitted it felt a bit weird not to have Arsene Wenger as manager of Arsenal at first this season, but now he is fully on board and fighting for Unai Emery to be successful.

There have obviously been a lot of changes since Arsene Wenger left Arsenal last year, to be replaced by Unai Emery. Few have felt the differences more keenly than Alex Iwobi, who spent his whole life with Wenger in charge of the club.

Since Iwobi joined Arsenal as a child, all the way up to the first team, it was Wenger’s philosophies dictating the way the team played, as well as what was asked of the individuals in those teams. Now, it’s Emery calling the shots.

“I can’t lie, it was a bit weird [at first] because I grew into the system playing under Arsene Wenger and that is all I have known,” Iwobi said (via Complete Sports). “He (Unai Emery) spoke to me and said what ideas he had for me. I have bought into them and I’ve played in a lot of matches and he has shown a lot of faith in me.

“You can see everyone is fighting, not just for us, but for him. He has a good chemistry with the players and you can see that in his time here. To get us to a final, he has had the right tactics and the right players at the right time. We will do our best to win the final for him as well.”

There have been mixed opinions on Emery’s first year with his new club. On the one hand, he failed to achieve a top-four finish and exited both cup competitions as soon as he was faced with a top-six team. On the other, his team have reached their first European final in 13 years and could still qualify for the Champions League.

It’s good to hear that the players want to win that final for Emery, but the fans and the players themselves should be just as desperate to see Arsenal lift the trophy as the head coach.