Exclusive interview with Nacho Monreal: Spain or France will win the World Cup, England will fall short
EXCLUSIVE WITH NACHO MONREAL: Spain or France will be victorious this summer – England will fall short, Mikel Arteta needs to win the Champions League to further his legacy at Arsenal, I don’t see Myles Lewis-Skelly’s future at left-back, Xabi Alonso has to be given time to succeed at Chelsea, Andoni Iraola can lead Liverpool to Premier League glory
Speaking exclusively with BetBrothers, former Arsenal and Spain defender Nacho Monreal has given his thoughts on the World Cup 2026, Premier League, transfers and more.
Monreal has discussed England’s chances of glory this summer while naming France and Spain as favourites, as well as Mikel Arteta’s legacy at the Emirates.
Other topics include Myles Lewis-Skelly’s future at left-back, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola’s new roles as well as Unai Emery’s progress at Aston Villa and more.
Read the full interview below:
What makes Arteta such an effective leader, why do players work so well under him?
Mikel Arteta, he was a leader when he was a football player. And now as a manager, he continues being that same leader of men. Basically because people respect him.
In my opinion, that makes the difference between a top manager and an average manager. The training is also really enjoyable. They are training with the ball all the time. He’s a top leader and his actions are why.
How has he changed the culture at Arsenal, how has he made them into winners?
What Mikel has changed is the mentality. You see Arsenal and you see a winning team. I remember my last few years at the club, we were good, we competed, but in the end we always missed out in the games that mattered.
But now if you see Arsenal after six years, the team, the club has improved a lot. He has brought top players, but in my opinion, the mentality, how competitive they are, that is the difference. They always want to win and win and win.
That’s the huge difference between Arsenal a few years ago and Arsenal today.
How can Arteta build on his success, can he become a legendary manager at Arsenal?
Right now Arsenal are the best team in the Premier League. Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, they have changed their manager. So nobody knows how it’s going to be for them.
Arsenal are on a good run. The last season they won the Premier League, but the last three seasons before they finished second.
They are very, very, very consistent. They won the Premier League. That’s what they wanted to win. But now once you get the Premier League, now your next step is the Champions League. They played the final, they lost it against PSG, but they are on the right path.
The next step is to go and do what they haven’t been able to do before, winning the Champions League.
ARSENAL
What do Arsenal need in the summer transfer window to consolidate another Premier League trophy?
Arsenal have a very good squad. That’s why they won the Premier League last season. But if I would have to sign one player or a player for a specific position, I would say Arsenal maybe needs to improve the left winger.
I love Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli. I think they are really good players, excellent players, but look at the level of Bukayo Saka on the right hand side.
Look at Declan Rice, the centre-backs, I have faith in Viktor Gyokeres too, I think they have a great squad, but that position can be improved.
Having seen him closely, would Nico Williams be your dream signing for Arsenal this summer?
Nico Williams, when he’s fit, he can make the difference in any game. His last season was not good enough. He had a lot of problems, injury problems. He was out. He missed many, many games.
You can see now even in the World Cup, he’s not playing because of the injuries. But he would be a great signing for Arsenal, of course.
But Nico Williams, when he’s fit, he’s really, really good. He’d be great at Arsenal.
Is the striker depth of Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz enough to fire Arsenal over the line again? Or do Arsenal need to buy another striker to compete?
Viktor Gyokeres can improve next season and I think he will. We cannot compare the Portuguese League with the Premier League. The Premier League and Spanish League, they are the best leagues in the world, the most competitive.
He did so well in Portugal because the level is lower than the Premier League. Gyökeres was good last season, but I think people expected a bit more from him, especially in terms of numbers.
I like how he plays, how he fights for the team. But I would like him to score more goals. He’s the striker of the best team in the league and I think this season he’s gonna do a bit better in terms of numbers.
Martin Odegaard has rubbished reports linking him with Galatasaray, but do you see Declan Rice as the next Arsenal captain?
Martin Odegaard leaving would be a mistake. Of course he has had injuries and missed many games, but he’s the captain and we know quality that he has
There are not many players in the Premier League who can control the tempo of the game like he does. So I think he’s gonna stay, yes, this squad will stay together and keep winning.
What are your thoughts on the concerns that Arteta is overusing his players and causing them long-term injuries?
Too much has been made of the injuries. Injuries are part of football. Every single year when I was a football player at any club, we had six, seven, eight injured players most of the time.
Football is very competitive. You need to run a lot. There is contact. So we know there are going to be injuries.
I think Mikel Arteta knows there are so many competitions so he needs a big squad, they want to win them all, so he will rotate and be prepared for injuries as well as fatigue, it’s part of football.
Do you think Arsenal need to become less reliant on set-pieces next season or should they keep a winning formula?
I think Arsenal have to continue doing exactly what they did last season. They were the champions. They were the best team in many different areas. Defensively, I think they were the best. In set pieces, they were the best. And if you can get a lot of points from set pieces, you have to continue doing that, don’t try and chance.
I know people were at the end of the season a bit annoyed because they scored over 20 goals from set pieces, but this is football.
All teams benefit from set-pieces and Arsenal won the title using them, for me that should continue doing that.
What would a successful season for Arsenal’s youngsters look like for Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly?
The Arsenal Academy are doing a great job. Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, we cannot forget Bukayo Saka, in my opinion the best player at Arsenal.
He joined Arsenal when he was 10 or 11 years old. Of course it’s difficult for these players to have minutes because the players who are already in the first team, they are top level.
It’s going to be another exciting season, especially for Lewis-Skelly and Dowman.
Who do you see as Arsenal’s starting left-back for next season?
I think Myles Lewis-Skelly will be a midfielder going forward. His last few games last season were unbelievable in the midfield. I prefer him as a midfielder than as a left back.
He’s a good left back, but I think it’s between Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie to have that starting role. They are very similar. They are very consistent players, so I cannot pick one, but what I know is the left back Arsenal position is well covered.
- The club with the best depth in that area in the world I would say.
Would you be a fan of Morgan Rogers at Arsenal for £130m? Would he get straight in the XI?
Morgan Rogers is one of those players that Arsenal should look to sign for whatever price. He’s young and he did unbelievably last season for Villa.
He’s already one of the best players in the league and in the future he’s going to continue being that because he’s special. He has something very special.
SPAIN/WC
Can Lamine Yamal carry Spain to the World Cup in the same essence that Messi and Mbappe seem to be doing for Argentina and France?
Lamine Yamal is the best Spanish player right now. He’s only 18 years old but he looks like he’s been playing for a long time. In terms of quality, he’s completely different to the others.
He’s next level, when he gets the ball, anything can happen. And when he’s fit, he makes the difference for Spain because in one against one, he’s unstoppable.
The opposition team normally defends against him with two players which does make it harder for him, dribbling against two defenders is difficult, but it also makes space for his team-mares.
- Lamine Yamal is one of the best players in the world, without a doubt.
Is it too early to compare Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
It’s natural that Lamine Yamal will be compared with Lionel Messi. All young players that are promising are compared to legends, especially Messi and Yamal because they are both from Barcelona, from the academy.
But the truth is we know that Messi is the best player ever, joined by Cristiano Ronaldo. For some players it’s Messi, for other people it’s Cristiano, but they are the best players.
For Yamal, nobody knows about his future, but what we know is if he continues playing as he’s playing and he continues being focused on football he can become one of the best players in history, 100% he is on that path.
What he is doing at 18 years old is unbelievable. He makes the difference. The only question is if after 10 years he will continue improving to reach his potential?
Is your former teammate Mikel Oyarzabal one of the most underrated strikers in world football? Would he be a success in the Premier League?
Mikel Oyarzabal is one of the best strikers in the world. The only thing is he plays for Real Sociedad. Real Sociedad normally don’t play in the Champions League. So for many people, not from Spain, because in Spain we know him really, really well, but from outside different countries, he doesn’t play Champions League, so people don’t know him.
Now every single person in the world watching the World Cup will find out how good he is. For the people who know him, it’s not a surprise what he’s doing. But it’s a nice surprise for those who were not aware.
What was the reaction in Spain like to Cristiano Ronaldo’s tears?
Some people were happy about seeing him crying, some people defended him but the legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo in Spain is huge, what he’s done for. For Real Madrid, for La Liga, for Spain in general, it was huge.
Maybe if you are a Barcelona supporter, you don’t like him. But in the bottom of your heart, we all know that he was unbelievable. He played for Portugal for so long. He had an amazing career.
- He didn’t win the World Cup. But we know that he was, with Messi, in my opinion, the best two players in the history of football.
England are most worried about France, should they be most worried about Spain?
The fans here believe that Spain can win the World Cup. In my opinion, from the beginning of the World Cup, before it started, my two favourite national teams to win the World Cup were France and Spain.
But Norway beat Brazil, Argentina, his last game. They didn’t play well, but Lionel Messi is there, so anything can happen.
France, if you see the squad, you could pick the players randomly and still get a great XI each time, Spain and France are the favourites and I think whoever gets to the final will win it.
Why do you think it is that Unai Simon is being picked over David Raya – do you feel sorry for David after what was his best individual season?
I think David Raya had the best performances last season. Better than Joan Garcia and better Unai Simón. But the truth is Unai Simón has been the number one Spanish goalkeeper for the last four or five years and anytime he played, he played well.
This is very important for the manager. The manager believes in him. I completely understand his choice. After five games in the World Cup, they didn’t concede a goal. There is nothing we can say to the Spanish manager.
Why do Arsenal play Martin Zubimendi more than Mikel Merino, but it’s the opposite for Spain?
It’s very simple. It’s because Martin Zubimendi at Arsenal is the best defensive midfielder in the team. That’s why he always plays. And in Spain, Rodri is the best defensive midfielder. That’s why Martin Zubimendi plays for Arsenal and he’s not playing too much for Spain.
It’s completely the opposite for Mikel Merino because for Mikel Merino, there is one place, one spot for three or four players because Zubimendi and Declan Rice, they always play. So there is one position for three or four players.
Can Harry Kane and England go on to win the World Cup this summer?
They are not consistent, but in terms of quality, of course they have chances to win. They have top players when they are focused, when they have a good day, any single player can make the difference.
We will see what happens. I’d like to watch an England-Spain final. I would like to see that for England and of course for Spain too.
Is Kylian Mbappe currently the best player in the world?
With all his skill, I think Kylian Mbappe is one of the best players, or maybe the best player in the world.
For Real Madrid, I think he had a good season individually. As a team, they didn’t win La Liga, they didn’t win the Champions League and for a club like Real Madrid. This is a big failure.
But Mbappé is always a threat. Always. You cannot let him shoot. He’s quick in short distances. He’s very, very quick in long distances.
He’s good with his right foot, good with his left foot, good in the air. He’s a top player.
Are you surprised to see Leo Messi continuing to dominate world football even at 39 years of age?
Will Lionel Messi be the biggest threat against England? 100%. When we speak about Lionel Messi, you need to be worried. Of course he’s not the player that he was 10 years ago. But he’s still a huge threat.
In the area, he’s a killer. If you let him shoot, he’s going to score 100%. He never misses a pass.
In the last game, not only Messi, I think Argentina, they looked really tired against Cape Verde. It was not their best game. But Argentina players always compete. They always compete really well. They are winners. They know they are the champions. They are always a threat.”
PREMIER LEAGUE
Can Xabi Alonso work wonders at Chelsea? Are Chelsea now a threat to Mikel Arteta and Arsenal?
It’s a big job for Xabi Alonso. It’s a big responsibility. I think he’s a really good manager, but my only concern is he needs time. If Chelsea gives him time, he’s going to do it really well.
But in football, most clubs want results from the first day. And it’s going to be a big challenge for Xabi Alonso to do that.
For example, in Real Madrid he was doing a good job, but they didn’t wait for him. In the first moment they had the opportunity to sack him. They did it.
Chelsea, have a good team, really, really good players. Are they a threat to Arsenal? Yes, of course. If you see Chelsea’s squad, you realise immediately that they have a really good team.
We don’t know what will happen, but they can be a threat. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, anyone can be a threat, but I think Arsenal right now, is one step in front of the rest, without a doubt.
Another one of your former teammates, Alexander Isak, how vital will he be for Liverpool?
I played with Alexander Isak. He was young, but he was really good. I think when he was at Newcastle, was outstanding. He was great, that’s why Liverpool signed him.
But now this season, after a good pre-season, he’s going to play 100% if he’s fit. Once he starts scoring goals, he’s a threat for any single defence in the Premier League. He can make the difference for them.
How well do you think Andoni Iraola will do at Liverpool? Can he win the Premier League?
Liverpool can compete for the title under Andoni Iraola. Iraola is a great coach, I know him as a person. We lived together in Madrid when he was the Rayo Vallecano coach.
We used to spend a lot of time together and how he trains, how his team plays, not only Bournemouth, but also Raul Vallecano, a small team in Spain, they played so well.
They try to be dominant, they try to play from the back. That’s why he’s got the Liverpool job and this season is going to be a big challenge for him because now with the players that he’s going to train can fight for the title.
At Bournemouth, he did so well, but you knew he couldn’t win anything. But now for Liverpool, he can be a surprise. He can be a big surprise and compete for the title.
How big of a blow is Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City?
I’ve heard that Pep Guardiola is going to take 12 months out, he doesn’t want to coach for a season, he wants time with his family, have a breath and prepare for the next step.
After that he can go wherever he wants because he’s the best. He’s the very best.
- I’m a bit worried about Man City because after 10 years, the change is huge. These kinds of changes, they take time, I’m expecting a drop off for City this season.
What do you think of Tottenham’s transfer business so far this summer? Are they a threat to Arsenal now?
If Spurs have more money, they will spend more money. They are building a good team. In my opinion, last season they were very unlucky with the injuries because they missed seven, eight, nine really good players. were out for most of the season so they couldn’t compete at their best level.
I think they are overpaying for players, but they are getting good players. One thing is how much money you pay for a player and completely different is if the player is a good player.
In my opinion, they are overpaying, but I like Sandro Tonali. He’s really good. He’s going to help Spurs, Andy Robertson. Obviously he’s not 25 years old, he doesn’t run as he did in the past, but he is part of a good squad and they can be a threat.
They cannot reach Arsenal right now. But they can get in the top six and that’s a step.
Do you think Manchester United can compete for the Premier League title this season under Michael Carrick?
I don’t know if they will fight for the Premier League this season, but over the past 10 years, my feeling was that Manchester United, they didn’t know what they were doing.
They were missing something. Under Michael Carrick, I can see a tough team. They play as a unit. All of the players, all of the fans, even the club are going in the same direction.
So they finished in the Champions League places last season. I think they are on the right path. Maybe they need to sign two or three top players to compete with Arsenal for the title.
I have to admit that after a long time they are going in the right direction.
Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League again – how far can Unai Emery take them?
What Unai Emery is doing at Aston Villa is incredible. They won the Europa League last season. How they play, how they compete. Usually the team is really good to watch.
What he’s doing is really impressive and I’m very happy for him because he was my manager at Arsenal in my last season. He’s a top guy, he’s so funny. He’s a winner, he’s a winner like Mikel Arteta and I wish him the best.
TRNASFER NEWS
How long do you think Robert Lewandowski can stay at the top level for – can he play into his forties in the MLS?
I think in MLS, Robert Lewandowski is going to score over 30 goals. Easy. He’s not young anymore. But even in Barcelona, when he played, any single time he was inside the box, he’s a top finisher, he scored a lot of goals.
In MLS, he can score as many goals as he wants. Can he beat Messi to the Golden Boot? He’s gonna be there. He’s gonna be there. 100%. He can do it.
Do you think Julian Alvarez will join Barcelona or Real Madrid from Atletico Madrid?
Atletico Madrid said that they don’t want to receive any offers for Julián Álvarez. If someone gets him, they have to pay the clause. But the player told journalists that he wants to leave.
It’s going to be a long summer for them because it’s a difficult situation when the club wants one thing and the player, your player, wants a completely different thing.
So at the end they need to make a deal. We will see. We will see what happens. Of course Barcelona is very interesting. Especially now Robert Lewandowski is out. They won’t give up on him easily
LA LIGA
In selling him to Real Madrid, have Chelsea sold the best left-back in the world in Marc Cucurella?
Over the last five seasons, Marc Cucurella’s level has been so high. He’s one of the best left backs in the world. Not the best. The best one is Nuno Mendes. No doubt. He’s the best from PSG. The best. He’s one, two, three steps in front of the rest of the left backs.
But Real Madrid had so many problems last season in defence, especially in the flanks, in the left side. I think Marc Cucurella is a good signing. I don’t want to talk about the price, it’s a bit high in my opinion, 50-55 million. But Real Madrid are getting a very good player.
Do you think Jose Mourinho is the right man for the Real Madrid job?
People in Spain are delighted to see Jose Mourinho back because he is fantastic in press conferences, in the media.
He won La Liga and the Copa del Rey. Mourinho has a lot of character. It makes you focus on him, at this moment with their problems I think he will help them a lot.
The players will respect him and want to win for him on the pitch.
What makes Barcelona the favourites to win the title next season?
Barcelona are favourites over Real Madrid for one reason, consistency. That’s been Real Madrid’s problem in the last two, three years. One week, they can beat Barça or Atletico Madrid 3-0 and the next game they lose against Mallorca 2-1.
- If you want to win titles, you need to be consistent. That’s the Real Madrid problem in the last two, three years. They are not consistent. Jose Mourinho had to fix that.
Does Trent Alexander-Arnold have what it takes to be a right-back in LaLiga?
It’s a bit tricky because I think Trent Alexander-Arnold is a really good player. But he’s much better offensively than defensively. And in my opinion Real Madrid needs really, really good defenders because up front they have Vinicius, they have Mbappé, they have Bellingham, top players, but you don’t want them to defend.
They don’t want to defend, they don’t run back, so you need to have the four defenders plus the defensive midfielder.
They need to be very, very good defenders. And Alexander-Arnold, he’s more focused on attack than on defense. So now with Jose Mourinho, if he wants to play, he needs to improve at the back instead of being an attacking player first.
What do you make of Barcelona’s decision to snub Marcus Rashford for Anthony Gordon?
In Spain, we watch the Premier League. We know who Anthony Gordon is. But the signing was very surprising and the price tag was even more surprising.
Maybe it’s because of the age because Rashford is nearly 29 and after two three years you are not going to get money back, maybe they think they can with Gordon.
They have paid a lot of money but he’s only 25. So in two, three, four years he will be 28, 29 and you can sell the player and you can get a lot of money back.
But also I have to say that even Rashford and Gordon, they are brilliant players, both of them.
How good is it to see your former club Malaga promoted back to La Liga?
I’m very happy that Malaga won promotion to the top division because the year and a half I was there, was everything special. It was probably the best Malaga team in history. We finished fourth, we played in the Champions League, the squad, the level of the players, it was huge.
After that, they had a lot of financial problems. They were relegated to the second division. After that, they were relegated to the third division. In two, three years, they came back and they’ll be in the first division again.
It’s gonna be a difficult year because when you get promoted to the first division you are going to have problems because you have second division players.
But they are in the first division and they belong. Malaga is an amazing city. The club, the supporters. I’m very happy. I’m very happy for them.
You won the Copa del Rey with Sociedad and they won it again this year – what does it mean to the fanbase?
The last season of Real Sociedad was a bit strange because during the first six months until January, they were 17th in the table, they were playing really badly. The atmosphere was not good.
But at that moment, they changed the manager. Pellegrino Matarazzo arrives. And since the first game, they started winning, winning, winning.
They won or they didn’t lose for about 12 games. They won the Copa del Rey in Spain. It was also interesting how they played because they changed the mentality.
They have really, really good players, very, very quick, like Ander Barrenetxea, Gonçalo Guedes, Mikel Oyarzabal.
They are not going to be at the same level as Real Madrid or Barcelona, but they can fight for finishing in the top four with Villarreal, Betis, these kinds of teams.
Your former club Osasuna avoided relegation via goal difference. What went wrong?
In the last six or seven years, Osasuna has done well, really well. The challenge is to try to stay in that category of having a chance to compete for the European places.
Last season everything was going well until six games left. I remember there were three or four points away from Europe at one point but they started losing and losing and they were lucky because in the last game if Girona scored a goal they would have been relegated.
So I think the target for the next season is just have a comfortable season, stay in the middle of the table and if they have chances to reach Europe last on, go for it.
How would Harry Kane fare at Barcelona?
Harry Kane is one of the best three strikers in the world with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. If he goes to Italy, Spain, where else he goes, he’s gonna play well, because he’s a really good player.
He’s very intelligent. He’s not quick, but he’s very intelligent. He’s always in the right place. His first touch is unbelievable. His finishing is even better, so would he be a success at Barcelona? Absolutely.
