3 Premier League titles, the Invincibles & 7 FA Cups.
All while obeying the financial regulations, playing under a different set of rules to his competitors & paying off stadium debt.
One Arsène Wenger. 🫡
The real cheating hasnt even been unearthed yet, 114 charges, none of them in relation to bribing referees. If you think City werent doing that aswell then I have a bridge to sell you #mancitycheats
We must never forget that Arsenal have been battling those cheaters for years, while the other 18 clubs and their fans were rooting for them to win the league.
Viktor Gyökeres had his heart set on leaving Arsenal by the end of the summer transfer window.
Importantly, the summer didn’t start that way.
An accumulation of things changed the situation.
Arsenal made it clear they were targeting Julián Alvarez, alongside other attacking options, and Gyökeres began to realise that his grip on a starting position was loosening.
That was compounded by Kai Havertz being given as many minutes as possible whenever fit.
As the summer progressed, Gyökeres’ representatives were in contact regarding a potential move away. There was an understanding that Arsenal were looking at other forwards and, if the right opportunity presented itself, Gyökeres could leave.
Ultimately, for a variety of reasons, that move never materialised.
But the situation had consequences.
The conduct of the player and his representatives during that period left Mikel Arteta unimpressed, to say the least.
That is the context behind Gyökeres not playing a single minute in Arsenal’s opening two Premier League fixtures.
Once the transfer window closed, conversations took place between Arteta, Gyökeres and the player’s representatives.
A clearing of the air.
The message was effectively: you’re here now, we’re here now, and while you’re an Arsenal player you’re part of this squad. We need to come together and move forward.
By all accounts, Gyökeres responded well. His training and general conduct improved and he was brought back into the fold.
What we’re seeing now may be the consequence of everything that came before it.
A player who spent much of the summer unsure where his future lay. A disrupted pre-season. A lack of match sharpness. And now, increasingly, a lack of confidence.
Whatever the circumstances that got Arsenal and Gyökeres to this point, something has to give.
Gyökeres has to take responsibility for his own situation and performances.
Arsenal also have to find a way of getting him firing again.
Because right now, it’s clear we’re watching a player performing well below the level we know he’s capable of.
We know the technical limitations of the player, but the application of the player is that of a disengaged player.
The responsibility lies somewhere in the middle. The club need to support him, and the player needs to take some responsibility and fight.