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Arsene Wenger’s emotional farewell at Arsenal saw a rapid replacement come in through that of Spanish manager, Unai Emery who had recently been fired from his job at PSG
Unai Emery was a curious character. His game plan was centred around attack with a quotation from the Spaniard saying he would rather win 5-4 than 1-0. His spell at Arsenal was dictated around smooth attacking moves as seen in wins over Fulham and Leicester alongside the difficulties of the language barrier.
Regardless of how well he spoke English, he narrowly missed out out on Champions League football in his first season as Arsenal manager, finishing fifth in the Premier League in 2018/19, as well as losing 4-1 in the Europa League final to London rivals Chelsea in Baku.
A torrid start to the following campaign however cost Emery his job, eventually being replaced by former club captain Mikel Arteta. Despite some great, as well as poor performances in his tenure, the Spaniard’s time at the Emirates will also be remembered for a few heroes of recent times leaving the club.
Santi Cazorla
When Emery took over the helm two players who showed moments of brilliance at Arsenal, but had careers halted by injury, left the club at the end of their contracts. One of them was a terrific creative midfielder who scored some wonderful set pieces. He was Santi Cazorla.
Cazorla’s performance against Manchester City at the Etihad in 2015 is one of the more memorable individual Arsenal performances in recent times. He led the team forward alongside midfield partner Francis Coquelin to a 2-0 victory, scoring a penalty and bagging an assist for Olivier Giroud. His performances was so attractive that it led Xavi saying that he wanted Cazorla at Barcelona.
In 2016, during a game against Ludogrets Razgrad, Cazorla came off due to an injury to his achilles tendon. It was a horrific injury which saw eight centimetres of bone being missing around the achilles, and was told he would never walk again.
Miraculously, Cazorla is currently dominating the league in Qatar under the management of Xavi, his presence at Arsenal was greatly missed .
Jack Wilshere
Jack Wilshere is the second player. He could have been a footballing legend and showed such promise from a young age, most memorable of which was dominating the talented Barcelona midfield duo of Xavi and Iniesta in a 2-1 win in the Champions League back in 2011.
However Wilshere’s career was affected by regret and injury, his glittering start to his Arsenal career made him eager to play despite the physio’s advice and he became injury prone.
His contract expired when Emery came into the club. He now plays for AFC Bournemouth after being a free agent for a while. Many England fans from the time claimed that Wilshere was the best English youth talent since Paul Gascoigne.
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey was one of the shining lights of the Arsenal Emirates era. He was the hero of this period and produced some scintillating moments for the fans which include two winning FA Cup final goals.
His meteoric rise arguably came in 2013/14, when he scored 16 goals in all competitions and helped the Gunners lift the FA Cup, their first trophy in nine years. His performances that season, won him the club’s player of the season.
His sixty-five goals for Arsenal were at times mouth-watering. Strikes against CSKA Moscow, Liverpool, Galatasary and Norwich propelled him to the cusp of greatness with Arsenal.
His free transfer to Juventus was a massive leap in his career to a club with serious intentions in Europe’s finest competitions. Arsenal fans looked on in bemusement as their a long-serving player left the Emirates with teary eyes, much to the dismay of a weary support all too used to losing their heroes.
Emery did not utilise Ramsey in the opening stages of the 2018/19 campaign. Towards the close of the season, Ramsey became a key man in the squad and Emery reversed his decision. However, it was all little too late. The Welshman joined Juventus and left Arsenal as an Emirates legend.
In his time at Arsenal, many believe there were periods in which he was a complete box to box midfielder. Arsenal’s current midfield would be complete with a skilful midfielder of Ramsey’s ilk and he could have been a fantastic counterpart to the strong Thomas Partey. Ramsey’s transfer definitely demonstrates weakness in the North London sides’ set up and is a frustration to the Arsenal faithful.
Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil is without doubt one of the most talented players to ever play for Arsenal. His vision is second to none in football as he demonstrated at Real Madrid and the beginning of his Gunners career.
His performances for Arsenal in the beginning of his career were incredible. He reached nineteen assists by the new year in the 15/16 season and performed week in week out. His best performance for Arsenal came under Unai Emery in which he created three fantastic goals for Arsenal, including scoring one himself in a 3-1 win over Leicester City at the Emirates.
Ozil was sold to Fernebahce in January 2021 after being dropped by current boss Mikel Arteta, being left out of their squad for both Premier League and Europa League. It was a controversial one with the side lacking creativity during the Gunners’ poor run between November and December.
The debate over the sale of Ozil and how he may have been treated under Arteta is such a contentious one within the Arsenal fan base. Some believe he was the most gifted player at the club and should have been playing every game under Mikel Arteta, others would say that he did obtain a good work ethic, but he would ‘vanish’ in crucial moments for the Gunners.
Francis Cagigao
The final departure is not a player. With the COVID-19 pandemic 55 jobs were let go at Arsenal, including international scout Francis Cagigao, which could have a great effect on the club in years to come.
Cagigao is an ex-goalkeeper who played for Arsenal at youth level. He knows the values and ethics of the club as he won the FA Youth Cup under the management of club legend Pat Rice in 1988. His best work at the club came as a scout in which he served the club for 23 years.
He is rumoured to have been vital in unearthing talents such as Cesc Fabregas, the late Jose Antonio Reyes, Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta, Alexis Sanchez, Robin Van Persie and recently Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba.
Arsenal fans have witnessed their heroes come and go to their rivals like a infinite conveyor belt for the last sixteen years.
The morale of fans was slightly rejuvenated by by captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signing a new contract in September following their FA Cup win over Chelsea, but the pain caused by the transfer sagas of the late 2000s heading into 2010s will forever be with them.
But with youth and exuberance combined with hope in the transfer markets of some marquee players coming into the club, there is belief at Arsenal they are going in the right direction under Arteta despite where they lay in the league.
Arsenal fans will be also hoping that history will not repeat itself with the new batch of players coming through. They hope not to see a repeat of the Ashley Cole or the Jack Wilshere incidents. These next few years could be crucial to the future of Arsenal Football Club.
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