More positives to come after Auba signed da ting! by Konstantin Mitov
Finally, lovely Arsenal people! We all knew it was coming, but it felt so relieving to see it done. Captain Aubameyang penned a new 3-year deal which would see him pocket some shiny 250k a week which could rise to 350 according to some rumours. There’s no doubt he’s earned and deserves this. The fans love the guy, he loves Arsenal and the fans and his performances on the pitch have often been the shining light in difficult times.
But it looks like the clouds are starting to clear up around Arsenal and brighter times feel on the horizon. We are now playing in a system and everyone knows their job. We went to Fulham and won 3-0 comfortably. Surely there will be tougher opposition, but we should be swiping the floor with teams of that calibre. Man City do it, and I certainly hope Arteta steadily brings some of this here.
I’m not rushing to say, “we’ve got our Arsenal back”, which was echoing last time around we beat Fulham at their ground, because we all know what happened next, but this time things feel a little different. What I really like is the responsibility everyone is taking. The players look like they have a purpose on the pitch and desire to play. I didn’t hear one excuse from neither the players, nor Arteta for the squad we had when we played Liverpool.
Gabriel hadn’t played a competitive game for 6 months, yet he produced a solid performance against Fulham. I remember times where our manager would always have an excuse. The ref, injuries, the ball, everything was somebody else’s fault. Now I do not see that. Everyone gets an equal chance now, and if you train hard and follow the instructions, you get a chance.
We’re not the finished article in any way though. I’m a bit sad we’re selling Martinez. We’re looking into Runarsson as a replacement keeper, who once tweeted about Wenger being stupid. Either he was just being captain obvious, or the guy has passion for Arsenal! Either way, a new goalie means we’re hardly trusting Matt Macey to do the job.
With Torreira looking like he will depart too, I think we’re looking for a new midfielder. I know Elneny has done a decent job, but a Partey would elevate us to the next level. Aouar would be really lovely too as we do lack creative options, and Ozil will likely just sit out the entirety of the season bar the odd cup game, so I expect us to move for one of the two players.
With the demanded prices these days and the lack of money, I hardly think we’ll sign both, but that would be such a magical transfer window! With Auba signing though, I think Arsenal are trying to prove a point to players coming here, that people want to stay at the club and it’s a place to both develop under a great young manager and win trophies too.
We’re playing West Ham next and with the turmoil they are in, I’m honestly expecting an easy win. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been this confident in the team and I don’t want to get carried away, but the positivity and desire to watch Arsenal is creeping its way back and I feel we’re on the right path. Where we will end up is extremely difficult to say, because the league is full of quality teams that can hurt you, but I feel like this Arsenal team is going places!
Konstantin
Right on, Konstantin!
It’s feeling better all round. MA seems to be getting the players to believe in his vision. The Arsenal values are at the core of MA’s heart and you can see that he wants the team to pull together as one unit with a fighting ambition! I’ve not seen this squad of players come together like this in a long time, Even when Wenger was there they were struggling. That will be MA’s biggest battle. Keeping them motivated and to believe in themselves. Auba’s commitment yesterday will be a massive boost to the squad, club and fans. He has shown his loyalty. He’s a legend! More importantly, that heavy cloud definitely looks like it’s lifting over the club. If we can just get the final additions in midfield sorted out I do believe we may just have a brighter season!? COYG 🙂
Very rightly put in the article. The Auba signing has sent a signal throughout that Arsenal is the place to go to and top players will once again like to come to Arsenal. Hope the next bit of news is about Arsenal signing either Partey or Aouar or both. We have to sell some players though and I am sure MA and Edu have planned about it.
Emy is a villa
I am happy for him and sad that we lost him
To me he is far more commanding than Leno
I wish him all the best
A most maturely thought out and written article with a welcome optimistic outlook. Well done Konstantin.
In today’s Covid world “more positives” is a scary looking headline
In Arteta we trust
We are back on the Royal Road no doubt. Through luck or good fortune we have a manager who has the bit between his teeth. I do think we are two players short of a team who can get near the endgame. Aouar is definitely one of them. Possibly Partey is the other….possibly a cheaper option is needed. We shouldn’t **** around though. Strike whilst the iron is hot, because we have the momentum. Put the money up and get the show on the road Mr Krankie.
Reading your article Konstantin is always interesting, gets me excited and always looking forward to the next one.
keep up the good work bro.
This is the kind of article I enjoy reading, optimistic but won’t get carried away. This is what objectivity is. I believe most gunners are now cautiously optimistic which is a great change from the past when pessimism reigned. Arteta’s strength is his ambition. He knows what he wants and strives to achieve it. His no-nonsense management style also seems to ve yielding fruit. There is a novel approach at Arsenal where all players are put on the same slate and judged according to their output not their name, experience, age or purchase price. No player is untouchable anymore and there are no favourites any longer. The only favourites are those who play their hearts out for the team. This is a unique tactic which has made our team highly unpredictable for our opponents. Jurgen Klopp admitted this in his post-community shield comments. At this rate and with more consistency Arsenal might push teams all the way. We may wish to recall Arteta’s answer when he was asked after his unveiling if he thought the task was manageable. With a straight face he replied that if he thought it was not possible he would not have applied for it. Arteta could shock many people and prove the doubters wrong. We look to the future with optimism.
Talking about positives, can anyone confirm that Falorin Balogun is about to sign a new 4 year contract at Arsenal?
Sheffield United made a low bid, which was rejected and even though he is entering the last year of his contract, Arsenal is loath to sell.