Pep is finally met with the scenario of having to cope with multiple injuries to key players and City are straight on the phone to Guehi while simultaneously wrapping up a deal for Semenyo.
Compare this to last January when Saka, Jesus and Havertz all suffered long term injuries and Arteta had to make do with converting Merino into a centre forward and using Nwaneri on the wing.
And that’s without mentioning what they spent last January and summer. This is why the narrative around Arteta’s spending kills me. Fucking look around lads
I’ve been through the 2006 UCL final loss, I’ve been through the Birmingham Carling Cup loss, I’ve seen my team become the joke of the country for a whole decade, I’ve seen the fall out at the end of the Wenger days, I was there in an empty stadium against Frankfurt seeing the club fall apart. I watched us lose the top 4 to Spurs in the final moments of the season. We’ve been through it all. And now it’s time for us to be grateful and enjoy what we have today. Arsenal fans have been through hell and back. It will come soon enough. I promise.
🔴⚪️ Mikel Arteta: “It’s 27 wins in the Premier League, it’s the most in the history of this football club in 130 years”.
“That’s not progress, that’s HISTORY”.
Am going to write something about Arsenal to make everyone feel a bit better this morning.
I work with every major club and many of the top ones are shareholders in my business.
Right now, Arsenal on and off the field and the project we are building is the envy of world football. Agents calling constantly to get their players in to the club because every player wants to play for us, the brands wanting to work with us. Club is working on ideas to help the fans more and get more of us to see the team we love. Arsenal are feared. That is why you see the nonsense in media this country. It’s great. The owners are super committed and long term investors and not scared to invest for long term.
As for Mikel and the team and all the staff… Wow! This hurts right now and nothing is given in life or football, but we are on a path that will mean games like last night and how we are performing over the last two seasons will become just normal. I have never been more excited about where we are going. Enjoy it, it is going to be fun. Plus win at Wolves Saturday and you never know… walk tall today, our club oozes class and let’s stick together.
So fitting it was Saka who scored Arsenal's first goal back in this competition.
A player who came through and helped drag the club back up as a teenager and has been central to the rise back towards the top under Arteta.
A huge moment for him. One he thoroughly deserved.
I'm running out of superlatives for Mikel Arteta.
The manner in which he has rebuilt Arsenal Football Club is often beyond comprehension.
Below, in this analytical thread, I break down how Mikel Arteta has carried out one of the most special jobs in modern history..
THREAD 🔴
I’m sad that the season has ended the way it has but there are so many positives for next season. We found ourselves in a race against a machine, slightly ahead of schedule. We continue to build this summer and we will be back, ready for a proper challenge in 23/24.
Since his honest interview where he rated his Arsenal career to date a 4/10, he has hardly put a foot wrong in the league. 8 games. 7 wins. The one loss was against City, a game in which he was named MOTM. Deserves huge credit.