Mesut Özil shocked the footballing world on deadline day of the 2013 summer transfer window, moving from Madrid to North London for £42.5m. Arsenal are obviously a massive club with an illustrious history, yet signings of this nature have decreased in frequency over the last decade at a drastic rate. Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour have changed the face of the Premier League and indeed European football, spending hundreds of millions to annually acquire some of the brightest talents on the planet at will. It has gradually lead to newfound mentality – that the Gunners don’t buy superstars, but instead make them – and has often been used as a shallow excuse for recent shortcomings.
Alexis Sánchez following in Özil’s footsteps, leaving guaranteed titles and acclaim in Spain, marks the conclusion of this situation at Arsenal and also the beginning of a new era. The Emirates Stadium ceases to exist as a financial hindrance and is now solely one of the many benefits in the club’s favour, with regards to attracting new players and commercial partners especially. Ivan Gazidis and the figures behind the scenes have secured multiyear, multimillion pound investment from Puma and Fly Emirates, increasing the budget at Arsène Wenger’s disposal in both the short and long distance future.
What is most telling about the change in direction, however, is the difference of calibre in outgoings. Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fàbregas and Emmanuel Adebayor once represented the best and brightest Arsenal had to offer, yet are now synonymous for their bitter departures. Since then, players have only left if absolutely surplus to requirements and the more prominent figures in the squad have illustrated their commitment to the cause by penning long-term deals. There is clear impetus, everyone is headed forward collectively and for the supporters, reasons for optimism are aplenty.
Hysteria has surrounded the latest reward for widespread sacrifice – Alexis Sánchez – ever since rumours of a switch to the Emirates initially surfaced, but now the deal has come to fruition the focus has shifted somewhat. Fans have turned to discussing how Wenger will accommodate his £30m buy into the line-up and for me, that in itself should encourage.
There is a plethora of exceptionally talented individuals currently playing for Arsenal, but almost all are unable to reach their peak standard outside of one position or role. This isn’t an isolated incident, in fact the majority of football’s elite face difficulties adapting to unfamiliar responsibilities, however Alexis is an exception. Le Prof has the opportunity to deploy #17 in on the right, on the left, in behind/alongside a more traditional number nine or even as the lone frontman himself – there is an almost infinite amount of flexibility attached to him, at least in the attacking third!
Arsène recently commented that “he [Alexis] has all the attributes of a modern striker, he can play on the flanks and through the middle”, perhaps hinting that he is already aware of the next step in Sánchez’s development. Luis Suárez shares similar attributes to Wenger’s idea of the modern striker and is to an extent Alexis’ replacement at the Camp Nou. Luis Enrique and the figureheads behind the scenes wanted the finished product of this so called ‘modern striker’, in El Pistolero they have just that, but in a few years time that very same desire may well have come to fruition in a former player of their own, only elsewhere, in different colours.
Alexis picked up Serie A’s player of the year award for the 2010/11 campaign and his WhoScored statistical rating of 7.53 has not been beaten since, though he failed to disappoint over the course of his four seasons in La Liga, it could be argued that we haven’t yet seen the best of the Chilean international. This is relevant with the core of Arsenal’s roster too, for Wojciech Szczęsny, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Özil and Theo Walcott are only indicating their ultimate capacities. There is a nucleus to the side consisting of youth and unexplored potential, each of the aforementioned names are based in an ideal environment, all are signed to long-term contracts and none have shown any sign of leaving the club. Times have officially changed.
Arsenal were only twelve months ago shackled by the weight of unrealistic expectation from supporters and the media alike, over a decade of financial difficulty changed what the team were capable of but had no effect on what the consensus deemed successful. Stainless Champions League qualification – the indispensable component to economic stability in modern football – and the survival of ‘the Arsenal way’ meant very little to most. Wenger was subjected to vile and unwarranted abuse, the fans’ patience had simply run out, inspiring an atmosphere around the club unique to that of previous low points in the club’s history.
Since then, Özil has arrived, the well documented trophy drought has finally drawn to a close and the fanbase have rediscovered their confidence. It may seem a little hyperbolic to suggest, but a winning mentality has spawned in the wake of May’s FA Cup triumph. Players previously subjected to mass scrutiny now have the experience of overcoming adversity, and in turn, the hunger to achieve further success. Özil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski will return from Brazil as World Cup winners also, taking their own desire for accomplishment to new heights altogether. The bar remains significantly high, however on this occasion appears appropriately positioned.
