It is difficult to predict what will come next for Nacho Monreal. It’s easy to forget that he really hasn’t been at Arsenal for a particularly long time – he only joined the club at the end of January 2013, just two-and-a-half years ago. Since that time, to say his contribution has been mixed is an understatement. Up until last season, he was almost always the backup to Kieran Gibbs at left back, with few really rating him and there being little suggestion that he would overtake the Englishman. That all changed last season, where Monreal became the clear first choice, and a key element of an increasingly strong Arsenal defence.
The Spaniard does appear to have held onto that position going into the new season, but it still feels uncertain whether or not he will maintain that. Much of his rise has been down to Gibbs’ own failures and almost deterioration over the past season, not just to Monreal’s own successes. This is not to put down Monreal and his accomplishments in any way, but simply to point out that were Gibbs to have continued his growth as a player as he was predicted to, rather than appearing to get stuck in a rut, Monreal would have struggled to get the run of games that allowed him to make his case to be first choice. Given Gibbs is younger and part of the so-called ‘British core’ that Arsene Wenger is developing at the club, if he picks his form up again, it seems likely that he could regain his position.
It is still impressive, however, how Monreal has managed to make himself the clear first choice left back at the club, after most of his early career at the club suggested nothing of the sort. It seems that a brief stint at centre-back early last season allowed him to enhance his defensive abilities, always useful for a full back, in a similar manner to which Wenger playing Aaron Ramsey on the wing led to his explosion in the middle of midfield the season before last. Monreal is now a far more reliable, hardened, solid defender than he ever was before, and as a result is now also in a position to be fighting it out with Jordi Alba for Spain’s left-back spot.
It is a late blossoming for the 29-year-old, whose greatest accomplishment before signing for Arsenal was finishing fourth in the league with Malaga in 2012. Previous to that, his five seasons at Osasuna were nothing to really shout about, with the exception of a UEFA Cup semi-final in 2006/07. He was a reasonably unknown player when he joined Arsenal – he had some name recognition from his few appearances with Spain, but few really knew much about him.
Monreal is, perhaps, almost symbolic of a shift in Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy – just as Mesut Ozil was, but in a different way. When signing for the club, Monreal was, as we now know, close to being top class, but just never had the chance to really prove himself at a top club. This is no departure from previous Wenger signings. What was different was Monreal’s age, and the fact he was entering into the latter half of his career. For Wenger to take a risk on him – and given his modest career up until that point, it was a risk – with little chance of selling him on for a profit if it didn’t quite work out was perhaps, in hindsight, an early sign that things were changing at the club. It was a sign that Wenger had accepted the necessity of bringing in older players, that the club was able to take risks to try and improve the squad, and ultimately it proved – perhaps even to Wenger himself – that older players could join the club and thrive beyond any previous indication of their ability to do so. The turning point with Ozil was the price tag, but the turning point of Monreal, although far more subtle, could be at least as important.
He now has the opportunity to cement his place in the first XI of a squad that looks increasingly capable of winning the Premier League, and he has every right to be there. There can be few left-backs in the league who can confidently claim to be better than him. That in itself is a surprise, perhaps even to Monreal himself, but it is testament to how hard he has worked and how willing he has been to improve himself even as he edges towards his 30s. In a team containing superstars, only one player lifted the FA Cup with Arsene Wenger. We should perhaps take that as a sign of the respect the boss has for him.
