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