The New Era of Arsenal
For this upcoming Arsenal season, something will happen that hasn’t ever taken place in my lifetime. If you have been under a rock, this thing that I am referring to is the new head coach, Unai Emery.
For the entire time I have been an Arsenal fan, Arsene Wenger has been the head coach. As an Arsenal fan, I never imagined that this day would actually come. Season after season I experienced painful disappointment. Never truly challenging for the Premier League title and constantly getting knocked out in the round of 16 in the Champions League (thanks Bayern Munich and Barcelona) left me disappointed. I guess the FA cup titles are a consolation prize, but still it wasn’t good enough.
Despite the persistent mediocrity and gradual regression of Arsenal, Wenger constantly retained his position as head coach. In previous years there were rumors that said,“This season could be Wenger’s last year”, but they never panned out. However, this constant feeling that Wenger would be coach until he died on the field finally ended this past season. The Arsenal board finally said enough was enough and essentially forced Wenger to step away. While I am thankful for all that he has done for the club, it really was overdue for Arsene to step down as manager.
As this news broke and the 2017/18 season began to reach the end, speculation was being drawn about who could be the next manager. Viera, Arteta, Henry, Tuchel, Rodgers (thank god it wasn’t him), Ancelotti, Low, and just about every other manager was linked to Arsenal. The last person I thought who would become coach was Unai Emery.
The week before he was announced as the new Arsenal manager, there had been rumors about Arsenal’s interest in him. However, I was skeptical and just dialed it up to his agent using the media to potentially help him get a better contract with another club. My thought process couldn’t have been more wrong.
I will admit I wasn’t completely super excited about this appointment at first, but after contemplating whether I would prefer Emery or Arteta, who all sources pointed to be the next manager despite never being a head coach, Emery was the better choice. He has a lot more experience coaching and managing a team, especially big teams, where Arteta has no head coaching experience. It would be too risky to appoint Arteta in this crucial and new period of the club’s history. Furthermore, for the most part, Emery has been successful at all the teams he has coached.
A common trend that appeared season after season with Wenger was constant issues with the transfer windows. Common excuses given were: attempting to justify offering a fee far below the asking price, there wasn’t enough time to complete a deal (despite waiting til two days before the window closed), or “there weren’t the right players available to address the team’s needs”. The transfer window was ultimately a tease under Wenger. Players would be available and this would bring excitement for Arsenal fans, but ultimately we were always let down whenever the transfer window was open (excluding Lacazette, Aubameyang, and Ozil).
However, this disappointing trend has changed under Emery. Currently, with about a month left in the transfer window, all the teams needs have been addressed. Arsenal needed a new GK, CB, and CDM. Emery has done just this by signing Leno, Papastathopoulos, and Torreira. Also, Arsenal have signed an experienced right back in Lichtsteiner and a young CM for the future in Guendouzi. Sure these aren’t flashy, big-name signings, but Arsenal finishing their transfer business a month before closing is unheard of. These signings may not be world-class, but it’s a right step in addressing issues that concern Arsenal’s squad — defense and making the team mentally tougher.
For me, these are some exciting times surrounding Arsenal. I am optimistic that Emery can do a good job as head coach. It won’t be easy starting with Manchester City and Chelsea in the club’s first two games, but since a lot of Arsenal’s players didn’t attend the World Cup, they should have a majority of their team. It’s refreshing to see a new coach and I am sure the players, fans, and board members feel the same way. I can’t wait for the season to get started.
