Here Come The Arteta

Well won Arteta. He might fancy a dip here.....YEESSS!

I think a lot of Gooners were well pleased as news filtered through late on the 31st of August that the Arsenal had prised Mikel Arteta away from Everton. Having just released one of the best midfielders on the planet back to his little home town side, and let the chinless androgynous mercenary many thought would replace him go as well, we were looking well short in the middle of the park. And I'm not just talking about Jack's height. To make Mata's worse, our target to replace Cesc in the market went to Chelsea instead.

The talks stalled in a typical bit of brinkmanship from our club, and in the end it took a transfer request and a drop in wage demands from Arteta to push the deal through at the eleventh hour. Typical Arsenal. After a loyal stint at Everton and despite being central to their plans, he was desperate to take the chance to join us and get his shot in the Champions League and to push for the Premier League title. Before he even took the pitch he took one for the team.


Ever since, he has just grown quietly from game to game, subtly influential, making little sacrifices in positioning and style to fill the role required of him, never complaining, and rarely under-performing. It's a well worn fact that we have not won a league game without him in the side and the win against Milan requires a bit of an asterisk, given the long odds on turning that deficit around.

So it is with a great deal of satisfaction that I celebrated his goal against City a few weeks ago. Not just because it won us a vital game in the push to secure that Champions League football he sought back in the summer, but because he deserved such a goal for the season-long shift he has put in wearing that red shirt with the white sleeves.

It's that much more fitting that he first won the ball by pressing Pizarro into a mistake, still fully switched on in the 87th minute, having just run the length of the pitch minutes before with the same kind of pressure. Arteta represents the kind of experience, quality and commitment we so desperately needed at the start of the season. It's a shame to finish it without him, but I think we're all looking forward to seeing him turn out again for us next year.


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