THE invitation was warm and alluring.

“It’s a beautiful place, beautiful seafront, great restaurants and a great culture,” assured a tanned and relaxed Mikel Arteta.

The Arsenal boss was talking about his hometown, San Sebastian, perched beguilingly on the Bay of Biscay, the gorgeous city located in the Basque region of Spain.

With Arteta’s Gunners making the tough trip to Villa Park in an eagerly awaited match-up against his fellow Basque, Unai Emery, and his impressive side this weekend, the question arose, as to just why the area provides so many top-quality coaches.

Along with the north Londoner’s 42-year-old manager, and Villa’s former Arsenal boss, the Premier League can boast another two to make a remarkable total of four — with Bournemouth’s notable Andoni Iraola, and West Ham’s new arrival, and former Wolves boss, Julen Lopetegui being the other two.

“Go to San Sebastian and then come back and ask me that question,” smiled a relaxed Arteta during his morning press conference today at the club’s training ground, and beating heart, London Colney.

“We all have a passion and the education that we’ve all had, and then we all need opportunities and chances — someone has to believe in you,” the San Sebastian-born boss explained, before adding generously: “What Unai [Emery] and Julen [Lopetegui] did for us was set the standard so high, they won a lot.

“The way they coach their teams, the way they represented their clubs was at the highest level, and that gave a platform for the younger ones like myself, like Xabi [Alonso], like Andoni [Iraola] probably to earn that curiosity that there are coaches from here, so we need to be grateful to those two.”

As someone who has visited the evocative Basque country and savoured its stunning coastline, captivating cities, charming villages and mouth-watering cuisine, perhaps it is also the strong culture and proud sense of identity that the area transmits to its populace that aids the work of such luminaries as Arteta. Or is it the work ethic and sense of teamwork instilled in its people that such a community-minded part of the world demands.

Or even, as a seasoned observer of Arteta and Emery, not to mention charting Areola’s upward trajectory on the south coast at close quarters at times, perhaps it is simply the humble nature of such products from the Basque area that sets them apart.

However, such qualities does not mean Arteta et al fail to possess a fierce will to win. Far from it.

Emery has been the catalyst for such a remarkable renaissance at Villa Park, in the wake of last term’s heroics, when steering his side to qualification for the top table of European football, for the first time since the late Tony Barton’s side improbably lifted the European Cup back in 1982.

Arteta’s innate emotional intelligence recognised Emery’s achievements, saying: “Villa Park is one of the toughest places to go for sure. 

“We know that, we’ve prepared really well to understand what we have to do to go there and win the game.”

With memories still fresh of Villa’s two victories over Arsenal last season, which effectively prevented the north London side from claiming the title for the first time in more than two decades, is revenge a motivational driving force for Arteta against his Basque colleague?

Speaking about the importance of getting a result over Emery personally, Arteta was quick to respond: “Personally? I don’t do things personally, I just have the will to win and prepare the team in the best possible way, regardless of who we are playing against.”

With a nod to their excellent away record last season — in which the Gunners won 13 out of 19 games on the road, losing only three, Arteta added: “That’s the confidence. Now we have to show it again.

“[Saturday] we go there with that belief and being very clear in what we want to do and what we have to do to earn the right to win the game, and we will certainly try to do that.”

Despite those two wins over Arsenal during the previous campaign, Emery knows his team face a difficult challenge. 

Not least because Villa’s striker Ollie Watkins has gone six Premier League appearances without a goal in claret and blue since he scored in that 2-0 win at Arsenal back in April which so damaged the Gunners’ hopes of winning the title — even if the England forward has five career league goals against Arsenal in total.

Speaking ahead of the match against Arsenal, Emery said his side would be competing for a “very difficult three points against one of the favourite teams this year to win the league,” adding: “They are progressing a lot, they are improving a lot, and they are being very competitive, more and more. It’s a big challenge for us tomorrow.

“They are favourites against us tomorrow and contenders to win the Premier League and be in the top four.”

Despite the self-imposed underdogs label, Emery has an unchanged squad, with midfielder Amadou Onana the only one from Villa’s eight signings this summer to start the 2-1 victory over fellow Basque, Lopetegui’s West Ham last weekend, although full-backs Ian Maatsen and Kosta Nedeljkovic made their bow as late substitutes.

For their part, Arsenal have no fresh fitness concerns, while £42 million summer signing Riccardo Calafiori could make his competitive debut.

As for Arteta and his Basque friends in England, will they be messaging each other this weekend after this round of fixtures? Do they have a Basque WhatsApp group, for example?

“No, we don’t,” laughed Arteta.