Thread by @IamOchejaOkala

When you make a change with a long time coach like @Arsenal have done, you are left with 2 options for success again.

1. Throw money at the problem and watch it go away.

2. Plan long term.

Arsenal went with option 1 initially, bringing in Ivan Gazidis, Raul Sanllehi, Unai Emery and splashing the cash on Nicolas Pepe, David Luiz, Sokratis, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and a few more.

Also breaking our salary structure by taking new contracts to ridiculous levels thereby hurting the financial position of the club which was well managed by Super Man Wenger and his team.

This approach unbalanced the team and quickly failed and the more viable option 2 was adopted.

Arsenal have chosen the 2nd option, for this, we the fans must be patient as Arsenal is also a business and run better than NNPC (Take Ozil as Kaduna Refinery; no output but costing us millions of dollars. 🤷🏽‍♂️)

The 1st sign of this change in strategy was the appointment of Edu, Technical Director;

An elegant, intelligent midfielder who played a key role in the greatest team in Premier League history, there are few former players who tick as many boxes.

From 2016 to 2019, he was the general coordinator of the Brazilian national team.

The former Gunner - a member of the Invincibles - came to us straight after helping Brazil win their first Copa America in *12 years* .

Edu is viewed as someone who has an implicit understanding of what Arsenal's style of play is, what the fans demand and what a successful version of the organisation looks like. He should know as well as anyone, he is an Invincible after all.

It is up to the technical director to set the identity of the club, to define what it means to be Arsenal.

Coordinate the work of our first-team coaching group, the academy and player scouting and recruitment in order to oversee the constant building up and efficient strengthening of our squad.

Secondly, the club decided appoint Mikel Arteta, a rookie coach with prospects of delivering success over a period of time.

Arsenal is a traditional club with history and traditions hence the choice of Arteta.

Unai had departed from the tradition.

An Arsenal man with little but valuable experience working with one of the best coaches in the world, Pep.

He is learning on the job albeit quickly.

Also Arsenal have appointed Richard Garlick from the *Premier League* as their new director of football operations.

A qualified solicitor, who specialises in sports law.

Garlick, who was previously West Brom’s sporting and technical director, has been director of football at the Premier League since 2018.

His responsibilities include football operations in the first team and academy, all player contract management and relationships with football’s governing bodies.

Garlick is highly rated, having worked his way up the ranks at West Brom before succeeding Dan Ashworth in 2013.

He has significant experience handling transfers and contract negotiations, and with his intensive knowledge of sports law, will be key to driving a good contract deal at Arsenal.

He returned to club football on the back of three years at the Premier League, where he had responsibility for the administration of the game, youth development and football relations.

Garlick is, essentially, working to make the lives of Edu, Arteta and Mertesacker that little bit easier, so that they can concentrate on the key elements of their roles.

Then you have Tim Lewis.

Lewis is a partner with Clifford Chance, a law firm headquartered in London and with offices in more than 20 countries around the world.

An alumnus of Charterhouse School and Oxford University graduate, who also counts the College of Law as an alma mater,

he joined the firm as partner in 2010 and, according to the Clifford Chance website, he “specialises in advising listed and international corporate clients on M&A, equity issues and reorganisations, as well as providing general corporate advice”.

Although Lewis is a non executive director his role is invaluable.

The result of all these changes over the last 3 years although heavily setback by the pandemic has culminated in a perfect January transfer window for Arsenal without spending a penny post COVID

With Mesut Ozil's wages off the books, fringe players moved to gain experience in the Premier League and a whole load of deadwood out the door, Arsenal looked in much better shape during the second half of last seasons' Premier League.

Together, the three relieve Arsenal of over £650,000 a week in wages.

The results of last summer are not great: Willian was a complete failure, Cédric ended up third on the depth chart at right back and even lower at left back, and while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s poor season has reasonable external reasons, it was still an underperformance.

David Luiz was mostly good and missed, while Thomas Partey struggled with form and fitness. The undoubted success of last season’s transfer window was Gabriel who was also the youngest player signed at 22 years.

In that sense, the summer backfired: on Arsenal, on Mikel Arteta, and on Edu. But Arsenal finished 8th, for the second consecutive season, outside of Europe for the first time in twenty-five years, and the realization that things needed to change very differently in approach.

This summer, then, has been different. Arsenal have signed so far: Nuno Tavares, who is 20, and Albert Sambi Lokonga, who is 21 Ben White who is 23, Martin Ødegaard who is 22, Aaron Christopher Ramsdale who is 23;

Kieran Tierney, 24, and Emile Smith Rowe, 20 for a few more days, signed new contracts. Nicolas Pepe, 25, Bukayo Ayoyinka Saka, 20, Rob Holding 25, Reizz Nelson, 21 are also part of the team now.

That is a pattern, and not only a pattern, but a plan: to build around a younger team, with a core of key players who are under 25, supplemented by older players in key positions, such as Thomas Partey in midfield, and Aubameyang upfront.

Mikel Arteta’s future is not dependent on whether Arsenal achieve top 4 this season or not. That is obviously crucial, but what is paramount to that is that the players under 25 develop, because that will become the backbone of any future success.

Yet the difference is that Wenger had a track record of developing players, specifically younger players, at Arsenal. Arteta has no such record. In that sense, moving to younger players is a gamble for Arteta.

There is more opportunity for error and mistakes, ones that could cost him his job. But whereas last season’s failure cost Arsenal time, as they mortgaged a year of the future to go after the present, Arsenal’s future is a little more secure by pursuing this strategy.

Arteta’s future will be reviewed at the end of this season, what he and Edu do with what is left of this transfer window and the one in January will play a huge role in his further engagement with Arsenal. He will either go or be rewarded with a long time contract in 2022.

However this season goes, the future is bright for Arsenal and us the fans must be a little patient with the work being done.

@okwoche

@Arsenal's season officially starts on September 11th 2021.

@AdejoED @okwoche Still in formative stage but we can all see where we are going.

I trust @m8arteta.

If you watch the game again, please look at Odegard, he was my man of the match.... his pressing didn't give Spurs a chance. #COYG #ARSTOT

#Arsenal #Arteta #TrustTheProcess

I think we will finish 6th.

@EuropaLeague Will be a good achievement for @Arsenal this season but if we get @ChampionsLeague then we are ahead of schedule and it will be fantastic. #ARSMUN

With today's @Arsenal win against @ManUtd and @BrentfordFC holding Spurs, as a fan, I can only dream.

We were lucky today! @m8arteta

What @ChampionsLeague will do to the progress of the Project is immeasurable; funds, attraction and glamour, well done boys!

#COYG #ARSUTD

We are really lucky.

@aaronramsey could have been sent off. Reckless!

@m8arteta has overachiever this season, qualified for @EuropaLeague.

If we are in the @ChampionsLeague at the end of the season, @Arsenal should give the coach a new contract and 300M to spend.
#WHUARS

The @premierleague is a script directed by the @FA_PGMOL.

Paul Tierney has ruined a whole season of great work and the implication of this financially doesn't matter to the corrupt authorities.

This #Top4 race will get to the last day of the Season. DRAMA! #TOTARS

#NEWARS

That was always going to be a tricky game with our injuries, inexperience, momentum and location.

Painful defeat but I am glad @m8arteta and the @Arsenal players have gone through this experience at this stage of their growth. It will come good next season.

#Arsenal

Nobody knows who @Arsenal want to sign, everyone is speculating.

When they sign someone, we will know.

No-one reported @m8arteta new deal until it was reported by the club, so can every one just chill with click baiting.

The Eagles have become something of an albatross as we have only one win in the last eight visits to Selhurst Park.

We start here and it will be a huge statement how we do here.

#PremierLeagueFixtures
#COYG
#Arsenal
#AUG5

Welcome Fabio Viera.

We have got a genius of a player here.

He is a leader and captain of the U-21's for @Portugal

Welcome!!!

@m8arteta and Edu and all those behind the scene have done well.

#TrustTheProcess #COYG #Arsenal
#GetYourPVC

The teams in Europe bar @ManCity are struggling.

Next 2 transfer windows will be expensive.

@Arsenal needs to add some more quality to the squad if we really want to be top.

It will only get tougher.

#LEEARS
#SOUARS
#Arsenal

@m8arteta is a genius.

This season is unique as it has 2 proper halves.

Everyone will start again after the WC.

We need to beat @ChelseaFC this weekend. After that, we can dream.

We should make top 4 this season at the least.

Chanpions league, here we come.

#CHEARS

We are 5 points clear and will be on top of the league at Christmas for the 1st time since 2007.

12 victories and 37 points is our best start to a season ever after 14 games.

If we can improve the team with the addition of a 6 and a winger, we can win the league.

#WOLARS

The highest amount of points for top 4 over the last 8 seasons = 76 points.

Based on this, we need 39 points from the remaining 24 games.... That will be 1.6 points per game.

So Top 4 is already secured as we are doing right now 2.63 point per game.

Using 2.63 point per game over the remaining 24 games will be 63.12.

If you add that to 37 points we presently have, Lol.... That will be 100.12.

We are winning the league....

Para venture we get a dip and drop to 2. 2 point per game (I can't see it) that will be 52.8 + 37 = 89. 8.

Based on this analysis, Top 4 is for sure and the league title is achievable.

#Arsenal

@UnrollHelper