Gary Cahill has claimed the departed Bolton boss Gary Megson helped his progress as a footballer.
The 24-year-old was languishing in Aston Villa's reserves when Megson took him to the Reebok in January 2008, and he has since blossomed into a centre-back now on the fringes of the England squad.
He said: "I appreciate everything he has done for me.
"If you look at where I have come from since I first joined the club, here I am now and I am probably the fifth-choice centre-back for England, with still years in front of me.
"I am definitely a better player than when I first came here. I played a lot under him, and he took a chance and paid a lot of money for me at that stage of my career.
"I would like to think I have repaid him in a way, but I am grateful for what he did for me."
On the issue of possible successors, Cahill added: "Whoever comes in will inherit a good bunch of players and they are going to come into a very good club.
"Every name under the sun is being touted about, but I imagine whoever it is won't be sprinting to get to Arsenal - that's just true.
“We will probably have to go there in the situation we are in now."
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