Arsenal has to find a way to stop wasting world-class talent

Arsenal have always managed to attract and produce world-class players, but they continuously fail to provide the success that convinces them to stay.

It all started in 2011 when Cesc Fabregas forced his way out of the club in order to join his childhood club FC Barcelona. Then the following year, Robin van Persie broke Arsenal hearts by forcing through a highly-coveted transfer to Manchester United, where he won them the league title with his immense ability to score goals out of nothing.

For a few years in between, Arsenal had 2 world-class players in Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, and eventually, one of them got fed up just like Fabregas and Van Persie, while the other’s prime went and came without any notable, tangible success at Arsenal.

Now, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is following the same path: a world-class player at Arsenal Football Club who is fed up of the lack of progression from the club and is looking for a way out by refusing to sign a new contract.

The fact that this trend has continued for nearly a decade is really worrying for Arsenal, because it clearly shows their lack of progression despite being a club of big stature. We know they’re still a big club because, well, they wouldn’t be able to attract these top players in the first place if they weren’t one.

Arsenal is a big, big name in the footballing world, especially among the current generation of footballers who grew up during Arsenal’s golden era. However, this might be tough for Gooners to accept, but their pulling power will decrease as the years go on, unless they find a way to get back into the Champions League and build up their reputation amongst the current and younger generation.

Mesut Ozil is the only world-class player Arsenal have had in the last 10 years or so that they’ve managed to keep around, but they also wasted his talents, by failing to surround him with a team ready to win big things during his prime. Now, the German legend’s prime has gone by, and there is little hope that he will ever find that form again. While he was the one who stayed faithful and didn’t leave for greener pastures, he was still wasted by the club.

This constant inability to satisfy the needs of their top players is a trend that has gone on far too long at the Emirates.

Eventually, Arsenal either has to stop the bleeding by finding success and managing to be ambitious and successful enough to attract top footballers and keep them around, or they will get to a point where they are no longer a viable destination for ambitious footballers – something that is creeping up on the club very fast.

This can likely be achieved with shrewd spending in the transfer market and finding a way to overachieve on the pitch. The Gunners have truthfully managed to do the former lately, finding some bargains in the market such as Leno, Guendouzi, and Martinelli, but now they have to continue to develop those players whilst managing to punch above their weight.

Having Mikel Arteta at the helm is a good sign moving forward, as he very much does have the potential to be one of the best managers in the game, but their finances continue to dwindle, and their pulling power continues to decrease. Arsenal might find themselves in a dark place of no return sooner rather than later unless they fix up and start achieving the success that the top players crave.