Willian is perfect to help the development of Martinelli and Saka

Why Arteta Wants Willian by AI

“You can’t win anything with kids,” goes the popular line. And as it is with stereotypes and sayings, there’s a truism in it.

A lot of different things are going to be shaking in the transfer window marble-box and one of the marbles that have fallen out for Arsenal is Willian on a free transfer. Many baulk at the option of signing a 31-year-old Chelsea reject on a three year long deal. What if he was useful in the first year, the argument goes, then turns out completely useless in the second? What if he becomes another Mesut Ozil? Is he even good enough?

We are not completely sure about Arteta’s planned squad roles for next season, but if there’s one that might be under serious consideration, it would be Aubameyang in the central role. Aubameyang through the middle is a move that changes the context of everything. If Aubameyang is to play centrally next season, does it mean that Lacazette would be sold? Will he or the club settle for him in a substitute role? Who would play on the left?

The last question has two internal answers to it: Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Both options sound good enough but is it really good enough for Champions League football next season? Could Arsenal feature more experienced and dependable EPL legs on the left next season?

Everyone wants to play the kids. But not all the kids are Mbappé. Granted, both Martinelli and Saka have done very well for this season, but they are still a couple of 18-year-olds at the end of the day. And young players deal with a lot of highs and lows. Is Arsenal ready to give Bukayo Saka 30+ appearances and all the insane pressure and risk that comes with it?

Arteta has not hidden the fact that he wants more experienced players next season and he has good reasons for this demand. Willian on a free fits the bill. And the rumours about the wages indicate that they’d be no more than Sead Kolasinac is taking home, with a lot of incentivizing bonuses atop. Could Arteta get more out of Willian? Possibly.

Willian will be playing next to England’s deadliest attacker in Aubameyang, who is a world-class striker. It has been a while since Willian has had that kind of luxury.

It all boils down to his experience. Willian is more dependable than our youngsters on a week-in, week-out basis, despite the many worries about Willian coming to Arsenal at his age. Given that we trust our coach who has shown that he can improve individual output, maybe we should trust that he has a good plan for Willian?

Those wages would be forgotten next season if we get into the Champions League. And with the plan to offload several players off the books, it would be absolutely crazy to deny ourselves of what is a relatively cheap signing.

Don’t worry, between injuries, fatigue, suspensions, the Europa League, the Premier League and other domestic competitions, both Martinelli and Saka will get plenty of games to continue their development.

Mikel Arteta knows what he is doing, and it is better anyway if we kept the pressure off them.

Agboola Israel

33 Comments

  1. Arteta right you have to blood the youngsters in don’t throw them in at the deep end and expect that they can do it week in and week out they can’t hence blood them in

  2. You don’t want to put too much pressure and responsibility on the young lads especially Martinelli and Saka who are good players and will only improve drastically. There will be a lot of games to be played next season..

  3. Totally, i’ve been saying this kind of thing on here for weeks.
    The young kids need protection, We’ve seen in with loads of players in the past.
    They have a massive breakout season perform like world class players but then the pressure gets to them, they get overplayed, they get burned out while still young and have the mindset that they have made it, when in reality they haven’t.
    Having Willian in the squad is so good for these kids its unbelievable. In him these kids can see how he trains, how he plays, his professionalism on and off the pitch, this is something they can strive for and learn from.
    As good as they both are, they shouldnt be rushed but nurtured.
    They will get more and more game time as Willians contract dwindles down and it that time they would have taken in so much from him, the same as they would from Auba and Luiz.
    If they carry on and build on what they already have, i can see that the roles will be reversed in a year or 2 once they are ready to take on everything that professional football will throw at them

  4. Are these kids gonna get experience by sitting on the bench? Still you not gonna win anything by playing old horses like Willian. Do you really think that Arsenal is gonna win anything by signing Willian? False hope is killing us

    1. @Top Gunner Arsenal won the FA cup without Willian but with Willian we can’t win anything?

      And our young players got plenty of game time this season. But if we sign Willian that will suddenly stop?

    2. Bottom Gunner, I see no “hope” at all in your posts , neither “false hope” not any other kind. All I see are constant and consistent negatives.

      1. jon, so depressing one should stick to just following cricket or rugby, don’t you think? 🤔

  5. I think Arteta wants to play Willian in a central role. Willian would probably play as a number 10. The manager needs more creativity, Willian is available on a free, and he grabs him.

    What is important is that the club should not sell Lacazette this window. He is important to the team.

    1. I was thinking that too Skills.
      I’ve seen a few wingers make good midfield players. The first one I remember was when Leeds bought Johnny Giles, a Man Utd right winger at the time, and stuck him in the middle with Bremner. What a master stroke that turned out to be.

  6. How can Willian develop youngsters when he failed to develop himself. The guy is not a star for youngsters to learn from him

    1. Top gunner .
      I’ve never once seen you post anything positive about Arsenal ,not once …
      I don’t see why you follow football if you get no enjoyment out of Watching your team .
      Surely you could find some positives after we beat Man City ,Liverpool and Chelsea in a space of a couple of weeks along with lifting a cup .

      1. There not “his team” I’m convinced he supports a different team he didnt even know what position in the table we finished lol, and he just says the same baiting comments to anger people, trolling at its finest

  7. You can’t win anything with kids, a line attributed to Alan Hansen ,ex Liverpool and BBC pundit.Well Alan, what about the Busby Babes most of whom perished in the Munich air disaster.Arguably the best Club side produced in this Country and apart from the goalkeeper, all the players were under 23 years of age. There is of course another saying which is “if your good enough, you’r old enough” Need I say more.Willian is a player I have always admired but he is not earning 100k per week to bring on our talented young players.Correct me if I am wrong, but is that not the responsibility of the Coach/Manager?

    1. 👍 Great example Grandad with the Busby Babes – ability and application are independent of age.

    2. Grandad I was about to make the exact same good enough/old enough quote but you beat me to it. There always seems to be one which opposes the other.
      My favourite saying of all time, which happily makes no sense at all, has got to be:
      “Too many cooks in the bush gather no moss” 🙂

    3. Yes but the coach/manager is not on the pitch,when you have a full stadium his instructions will take longer to filter to the players,also when your team is under pressure you need those players to encourage teammates, tell them what to do like keeping the ball, slow down the game…..reminding a teammate about his positioning,game management,the captain is not enough,you need leaders all over the pitch!it’s about finding the right balance between youth and experience!

  8. Contrary to rumour the word “negative ” contains not eight letters but nine. Those letters are t o p g u n n e r!

    1. It’s not even negative mate, he literally only comments on articles to bash willian these last few weeks, Top Troller at his finest.

  9. One question for Agboola Israel, how did Arsenal qualify for the Champions League next season?
    Winning the FA Cup earns Arsenal a place in the Europa League does it not?

    1. I think he meant to say if we qualify for UCL next season then those wages will not pressure us as much.

  10. I trust MA on that matter,he saw first hand both the positive influence of experienced players like Company,Aguero,Silva, Fernandinho… at man City but also the negative effects when they aren’t replaced or get injured for a certain period.

  11. Guys trust Arteta not only in the Match but even out. He means well for his Club. William is good enough to be old.

  12. Willian is a great signing for free no questions asked, he still got pace got a good shot on him and an eye for a pass he better than any of our players in the no10 role hands down

  13. up! up!! up!!! gunners for life
    i strongly believe that arsenal will do well next season even more than this season

  14. @Agboola @Admin
    Good job you’re doing out here.
    I will like to write for this website.
    Are you seeking new writers?
    What do I have to do?

    1. Anyone wanting to contribute must go to CONTACT US at the bottom of this page and send me their articles.

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors