They said what?! The best Arsenal quotes from the season so far

They said what?! The best Arsenal quotes from the season so far

By Adam Le Roux 

Whenever you’re reading a newspaper, turning on the television, or scrolling aimlessly on your phone on your lunch break, it seems everybody has a word to say about Arsenal these days.

Goings on at the Emirates are often a source of conversation not just for Gunners supporters but for football fans and pundits all over the world, and they’ll have had plenty to discuss this season already.

From the redundancy of one of the club’s heroes to the hubbub of new signings and departures, there’s always something to sink your teeth into around N7, never mind what’s happening on the pitch.

So with that in mind let’s take a look at some of the best Arsenal quotes of the season, as we’ve trawled through the archives of Gunners grumblings since September.

Merson pulls no punches

With the start of a new season on the horizon, even Arsenal fans can convince themselves that this is their time to win the Premier League, right?

Well, not if you’re Paul Merson. The former fans’ favourite was adamant that the Gunners wouldn’t be able to reach the top four this season, despite the new direction the club was being taken under Mikel Arteta.

“I like what they’re doing, but top four? I just think the gulf is too big,” Merson said before the season began.

“There’s three or four leagues within the Premier League. I think the top four is the top four in their own league, then you’ve got your Arsenal, Tottenham and maybe even Everton now with Leicester.”

With just four wins from their opening eight league matches this campaign, Merse may have had a point, but the Gunners are still only four points from fourth-placed Southampton as we return from the international break.

If Arsenal return from the fortnight off ready and refreshed, some momentum over the Christmas period could well see him eating his words come the end of the season.

Auba puts pen to paper

Arsenal fans will have waited with bated breath over the summer as star-striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continued contract talks with the club, with his deal set to come to an end at the end of the current campaign.

But in mid-September they got the news they had been waiting for, as the Gabonese striker signed a new three-year-deal with the Gunners. 

”Signing for this special club was never in doubt," the 31-year-old said, perhaps with his tongue slightly in cheek following literally months of doubt about whether he would sign. "It's thanks to our fans, my team-mates, my family and everybody at this club that I feel like I belong here.

“I believe in Arsenal. We can achieve big things together. We have something exciting here and I believe the best is to come for Arsenal.”

As quotes go, it’s short and sweet, but the message it sent across was a big one, Auba is here to stay, and it’s only a matter of time before the goals start flowing again for the 2018/19 Golden Boot winner.

Wright uptight about Ozil plight

One of the seemingly never-ending dramas at the Emirates over the past few months has been that of Mesut Ozil, with the German playmaker not named in Arsenal’s 25-man Premier League squad at the start of the season.

The 32-year-old’s time as a Gunner is coming to an end, with Mikel Arteta sending a clear message with the omission of the former Real Madrid man.

One man who is convinced Ozil will be shown the door is former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who believed the German’s days in red and white were numbered back in September.

“It doesn't seem like there is any way back for Ozil,” Wright said. “I was in the ground the other day and he was walking around, he looked happy enough.

“The confusing thing for me is that everybody knows that if you do buy into Arteta's game plan, then you're probably going to get in there.

“I just find it really sad that nobody is able to convince him or make him understand that, even if you are going to leave. At the end of the day, he's still paid to be a footballer for the club.

“If it's his attitude isn't right in training or whatever, we've seen that Arteta will play them if they do show that, so I find it devastating that we can't find someone to get him to understand how integral he could be to this style at Arsenal.”

Mesut’s Gunner sort us

He may not be taking to the pitch for the Gunners these days, but Mesut Ozil still stole the headlines once again back in October, with a selfless act of generosity or a cynical PR move, depending on your viewpoint.

After the news that Jerry Quy - the man who has done hours or tireless work as Gunnersaurus for the past 27 years - was to be made redundant, the German was quick to step in to help.

Ozil said: “I was so sad that Jerry Quy aka our famous and loyal mascot and integral part of our club was made redundant after 27 years.

“As such, I'm offering to reimburse Arsenal with the full salary of our big green guy as long as I will be an Arsenal player so Jerry can continue his job that he loves so much.”

The tweet sparked a national frenzy to get the big green dinosaur back to the Emirates, and that finally became reality last week when the seven-foot monster returned to the fold, much to the delight of Gunners around the world.

Partey time at the Emirates

There was much ado about the arrival of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid this summer, with the Ghanaian international said to be an integral piece of the puzzle for Mikel Arteta’s masterplan.

The midfield general had dominated games in La Liga for the past few years prior to his arrival at the Emirates, and Arsenal fans were looking forward to having a real enforcer in the middle of the park.

None more so than our old friend Paul Merson, who was waxing lyrical about the new £45m signing, even if he couldn’t fathom why the new man was moving to the Gunners.

“I think Partey’s a massive, massive difference. I mean, what a signing,” Merson said. “When you talk about signings in the summer, he’s got to be number one. I cannot believe, without being horrible here, that Arsenal got him.

It then emerged that it was an Arsenal old boy that had convinced Partey to make the switch to play for the Gunners, with Emmanuel Adebayor giving his two pennies worth ahead of the move.

“He told me that some clubs in England, namely Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and others have shown interest in him and he needs advice,” Adebayor said.

“I advised him to go to Arsenal because I have had the opportunity to play there and I think it will be good for his development.

“Arsenal is more than a club, it is a family and I’m impressed with his performances so far in the Premier League.”

And from what we’ve seen so far, the 27-year-old looks the perfect fit in the Arsenal engine room, so let’s all raise a glass to Manu!

Auba ends Old Trafford hoodoo

It had been 14 long years since the Gunners had won at Old Trafford in a Premier League match, but all that ended on the first day of November, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty saw Arsenal claim a 1-0 victory at the home of their great rivals.

In an up-and-down season for Mikel Arteta’s side so far, it was a seamless performance from everybody on the pitch that day, including new arrival Thomas Partey, as the three points came back to London. 

Aubameyang knew just how much the victory meant to the team, as well as the fans, especially off the back of humbling defeats to Manchester City and Leicester.

“It’s a very big win,” the Gabonese striker said. “It’s been a very tough night but I’m really happy because the team did very well.

“It’s been a long time since we won here so it’s a great night. Mikel is bringing something very nice and everyone wants to follow his way. It was good to win tonight.”

Arteta picks on profligate Pepe

And finally, yet another player who can’t hold down a place in the first team at the moment is Nicolas Pepe, with the Ivorian struggling to find his form in front of goal this season.

The 25-year-old has netted just three times in his 12 appearances in all competitions this season, and just once in the Premier League in a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United in October.

The other two strikes have come in Arsenal European escapades, with a super strike against Dundalk on his weaker right foot, before another in the 4-1 victory over Molde. 

And it was after the defeat of the Norwegian champions that the boss spoke out about the wide man, and the need to perform at a higher level.

”Consistency. Throughout the game, throughout 90 minutes, every ball, in every action and every time he's on the ball in the final third he needs to make a difference. And do it more and more and more,” Arteta said.

“The final product has to be better, not just from him but if you want to become a top, top team and score many more goals then it's something we have to put higher demands on at the moment.

“Today he scored a really good goal and got an assist and he can do more. I think he's on the right path.”