The Arsenal team of a few years ago and the one of today are practically unrecognisable.
Mikel Arteta’s leadership and Edu Gaspar’s signings have transformed the perennial underachievers into one of the best teams in Europe, with only the likes of Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli remaining from the teams picked by former manager Unai Emery.
In fact, the North Londoners have such an elite group of players that four of them were named in this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist, which would’ve been a laughable concept a few years ago.
That said, one of the old guard sold by Arteta in recent years has also found himself on the list of nominees, and there are likely still portions of the fanbase who wish he was still donning Arsenal’s red and white.
Arsenal’s Ballon d’Or nominees
So, it might not be the Premier League title, but the fact Arsenal have four first teams on this year’s Ballon d’Or nominees list is seriously impressive.
The first name that will surprise nobody is Saka, who enjoyed another stellar campaign last year, racking up a frankly absurd haul of 20 goals and 14 assists in just 47 games and then playing a pivotal role in England’s run to the European Championship final in the summer.
Joining the Englishman on the list for a second year running is club captain Martin Odegaard, who took another step up both in his on-pitch performances and leadership abilities, ending the year with 11 goals and 11 assists.
Now, the following two players have been nominated for the very first time in their careers this year, although we’d be shocked if they didn’t become regulars going forward.
The first is French superstar William Saliba, who just seems to go from strength to strength and played an essential role in helping the Gunners keep an incredible 18 clean sheets last season, which unsurprisingly saw them concede the fewest goals to boot.
The last Arsenal player to make the cut is also the club’s most expensive signing ever, the £105m man, Declan Rice.
The former West Ham United captain had an awful lot of pressure on his shoulders due to the price tag going into last season, but remarkably, he didn’t play like it, and perhaps one of the best things you can say about his campaign is that nobody mentioned the price after the first few games, unless they were saying the Hammers should have asked for more.
In all, Arteta is fortunate to have so many of his players nominated for the Ballon d’Or this year, and it shows how far the club have come, but had he not sold a certain star last summer, he may well have had five nominees to pick from.
Granit Xhaka’s 23/24
Of course, the former player in question had to be Granit Xhaka.
He may have caused his fair share of controversy during his time at Arsenal, but he ultimately left last summer with the love and support of most Arsenal fans and a raucous ovation from the Emirates on the final day of the season.
The Swiss international moved from North London to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for around £21m, and while there was an expectation that he would do well at the club, nobody quite expected him to play as well as he did.
In all, the 31-year-old “leader”, as dubbed by football writer Craig King, made 50 appearances last season, scoring four goals and providing two assists, as Xabi Alonso’s side sprung a surprise title challenge and ended up completing an undefeated domestic double.
In fact, the only game the team, and therefore Xhaka, lost last season was the Europa League final, when they were stunned by an incredible performance from Italian outfit Atalanta.
| Xhaka’s 23/24 | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 50 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Goal Involvements per Match | 0.12 |
| League Titles | 1 |
| Domestic Cups | 1 |
| Defeats | 1 |
| All Stats via Transfermarkt | |
Unsurprisingly, the former Gunners ace’s spectacular season has seen him nominated for the Ballon d’Or alongside some of his old teammates, and on top of that, his valuation has increased to around €44m, according to Football Transfers, which converts to about £37m.
Ultimately, while many Arsenal fans were sad to see Xhaka leave last summer, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who isn’t happy for him today, and if his departure allowed the club to spend that little bit more on Rice, then it was an exit that has worked out for all involved.
