Shut. Sealed. Slammed.
After a summer of mixed emotions at the Emirates Stadium, the Transfer Window
has finally come to a close.
Over two months of gossip, rumours and chatter came to a dramatic
climax on Monday’s Transfer Deadline Day, with clubs around the country racing
frantically to finalise those last minute deals.
However now that the dust has
settled in North London, just what were the most exciting, depressing and
defining moments for Arsenal Football Club over the course of the summer?
Most Exciting Moment: Cesc Fàbregas Coming Home
Indeed, it feels like almost an eternity has passed since the
tantalisingly familiar name of Cesc Fàbregas was mentioned as a potential
incoming this Transfer Window. And in fact there was a time when the prospect
of the Spaniard returning to the Emirates appeared to be a very real
possibility, amid murmurings that all was not well for Cesc with life in
Catalonia. But whilst the majority of Arsenal fans remained realistic in their
hopes of signing the still much-loved midfielder, for a few moments at least it
was simply delicious to dream of a midfield consisting of Cesc Fàbregas, Santi
Cazorla and Jack Wilshere.
Most Depressing Moment: Gareth Barry Linked With Arsenal
For a brief moment, let me take you all back a few weeks… Arsenal
had not yet made a signing of any real significance, fans far and wide were
becoming increasingly frustrated, and out of the blue a story arose that
Arsenal were prepared to break their transfer-duck for none other than Gareth
Barry. Let’s face it, at the time it was enough to break hearts and hopes
across the red side of North London. But whilst for the most part it was never
a personal agenda against the England midfielder, the story if nothing else
highlighted a severe lack of ambition for a club that had promised so much.
Fortunately for the sanity of Gooners everywhere, the move was never anything
more than fiction, but all the while it stood as a straw which was incredibly
close to breaking the proverbial camel’s back.
Most Defining Moment: Mesut Özil Joins Arsenal
Well it could hardly be anything else could it? After countless
summers of pain, discontent and downright irritation, Arsenal Football Club
waited until the final hour of Deadline Day to make arguably one of the biggest
moves of their 127 year history. The signing of Mesut Özil brings an end to the
loss rather than the purchase of world class players, the healing rather than
the building of the squad, and symbolises far more than simply the arrival of
one special individual. Make no mistake, Mesut Özil stands as a figure of
intent and proof that not only can the club still attract players of such
quality, but that the patience shown by Arsenal fans may have finally paid off.
And with the £42.4 million German international having already stated that he
was attracted to the ‘huge
ambition’ of the club, you have to wonder in anticipation at what this new era
will hold for Arsenal Football Club.
Jay James Waller
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