Arsenal sealed their second consecutive FA Cup with an emphatic 4-0 victory against Aston Villa at Wembley at the end of May, that has brushed aside taunts about their previous trophy drought. The Londoners had previously gone nine years without winning any silverware, but have now retained the FA Cup with ease over the Midlands outfit, and manager Arsene Wenger’s promise of success is starting to ring true.
The long-serving French coach has always maintained the club’s pursuit of trophies in the future would factor on how much money they spent on transfers, and given their activity in the last two summers, Wenger has been proven right. Former Real Madrid playmaker and World Cup winner (Germany) Mesut Ozil was signed for a club-record £42.5M in the summer of 2013/14, and led the club to their first FA Cup since 2005, while Arsenal enjoyed a place at the summit of the Premier League for the majority of the season.
Alexis Sanchez, then of Barcelona, was the next high-profile acquisition, joining the club in the summer of 2014/15. The Chilean also enjoyed a trophy-winning debut season at the Emirates, and helped the side overcome their demons, beating Manchester City at the Emirates, beating Manchester United at Old Trafford, and boasting title-worthy form in 2015. In addition to a European trophy, the Premier League title is the missing piece to prove of Arsenal’s resurgence.
Wenger recently claimed the side wouldn’t overspend in the summer, hinting that his current crop of players are good enough for the Londoners to achieve their goals in 2015/16, saying: “We would not get involved (in high-profile transfers this summer) for financial reasons.” However, the experienced manager still backs his side to deliver in the league, even though his title rivals will be considerably strengthening.
“I am not against spending money, I have shown that recently. Mentally, we are stronger. We have seen that since January. We have made progress on the mental side and on mastering our games and on being less naive and better balanced and knowing what to do. It is intelligence. We have to show we want to (win the league). But the other teams – how good will Chelsea be? Who will they buy? Man City, Liverpool will buy. Tottenham will buy. I don’t know how good these teams will be.”
Supporters are delighted to be finally enough winning trophies again, and now the Gunners have their sights set on the league.