“The best medicine in these situations is to win a football match. Every defeat is another hurting moment, another disappointment, another moment that you have to lift yourself up, and that takes a lot of energy,” said a concerned Mikel Arteta after being asked questions about his side’s poor performances and issues around it just the match against Chelsea. And yes, there were many problems surrounding the Football Club, the playing squad, and even the manager himself.
While Arteta continued to retain utmost support from those who run the corridors of power in the red half of North London, reports were emerging of a disturbed and a rather fractured dressing room. This was never a good sign considering the targets Arsenal had set for themselves in the January transfer window.
However, the win at Chelsea and the subsequent wins at Brighton and West Brom made sure that Mikel Arteta went into the transfer window in a solidify and assured position to be able to be ruthless in the transfer market.
Things went to plan for the Spaniard and he had now made shelving the squad as his priority and has succeeded in it to a certain extent with Sead Kolasinac, William Saliba already loaned out and the likes of Mesut Özil and Sokratis Papasthopalois seemingly in advanced conversation with different clubs in order to exit from the Arsenal after being left out of the playing squad.
To be able to shift out three players who were an important part of the first-team set up last year is no small deal and for a rookie manager like Mikel Arteta to be able to sanction such a deal is a show of sign that he has the ability to command the dressing room and can be ruthless if required to be.
