Are Arsenal still on the right path? by Leke Osmani
Losing to Liverpool in that manner has certainly got all the alarm bells ringing around Islington. How can Arsenal be so submissive? Do we need to change players, manager or even the owner? Are we even on the right path anymore? Here are three reasons why we are, and why one match shouldn’t dictate everything we think about the club.
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- The appointment of Richard Garlick this summer will be a massive boost to the club that will show on the pitch. Currently, Arteta and Edu have a lot of work to do in terms of the footballing side. They must worry about player contracts and negotiating player sales and acquisitions. Bringing in Garlick will mean that he can focus on these issues as Arsenal’s Director of Football. Edu can focus on the hiring of staff to help Arteta and the smooth running of the club. While Arteta can focus on the footballing matters. It’s not up to one man to run our club and we need a full squad of dedicated professionals working behind the scenes to bring us that taste of Premier League and Champions League success we so desperately need.
- It may seem trivial to say so but Arteta has been the real shining light in this squad. Bar the defensive mistakes and VAR decisions pulling us back, Arteta cannot be considered responsible for what has transpired this season. He has brought a system, values and desire to the team. Not all the players have shown that this season, but it is a work in progress and an Arsenal man is needed to help us get ourselves out of this mess. Arteta is that man. This season effectively started after the Winter transfer period as we finally got rid of the players that have been hampering our squad. With the summer transfer period and some more players leaving and maybe a few more coming Arteta might finally have his first real pre-season and full season with a squad that he wants. We should afford him this and not compare him to Emery or any other manager as Arteta came in during the biggest crisis we have seen at the club in decades.
- It’s time for an unpopular opinion. That of Kroenke In. Why? Why would an Arsenal fan want Kroenke in? The man solely responsible for our lack of finances and forcing us to work within our means to pay our debt and become a force again. Why you ask? Maybe because Kroenke is the strict father getting his children in line. By throwing money into the team, we will have more debt and we will make errors in transfers. Not giving us money to work with we have to work with the pressure and turn our “carbon” into diamonds. 2030 is the year we pay back our debt and thankfully it’s only another ten years and not longer. We will surely pay it back and if we have success with the self-sustainable model Kroenke wants, we will be in the strongest position we have ever been. A squad full of deadwood sales proceeds bought stars and homegrown players we will be a force to be reckoned with for decades on end. We cannot change the inevitable and we cannot be Kroenke out whenever something goes wrong. We need to embrace the desires of our current owner and deliver a system of success.
These three reasons I believe show that there is hope yet, and it is not all doom and gloom. We will come back stronger towards the end of the season and we will surely be better off with the addition of Garlick, the desire of Arteta and the vision of Kroenke.
I want to believe in this as much as every Arsenal fan because it is all we can do. COYG!