The Gunners are one of the oldest clubs currently playing football with a history that spans over +130 years. The London-based club has won almost every competition there is to win in England. The club has lifted the League title 13 times and the FA Cup 14 times. However, the club hasn’t had the same luck in major European competitions. Most football supporters have written Arsenal off since their last title win in 2003. But their history has shown us that the club goes through periods of ascendancy followed by periods of declines cyclically.
Arsenal Football Club is the only club to win the English Premier League and not lose a single match for the entire season of 38 games. This title-winning season earned the gunners another nickname – the invincibles. The club also managed to play in the Champions League finals a few seasons later but lost to Ronaldhino’s Barcelona. We take a deeper look at Arsenal’s past, future, and present and what fans can expect.
Arsenal Football Club’s Past
Formerly, Arsenal was known as Royal Arsenal, Woolwich Arsenal, and The Arsenal. Arsenal moved to Highbury in the early 20th century and since then has been a rival to Tottenham Hotspurs. The club shifted its stadium to the Emirates early in the 21st century (2006) where it currently plays its home games. In fact, Arsenal named their stadium the Emirates in one of the biggest sponsorship deals in sports history (going over 100 million Pounds).
1. Relegation – Arsenal was relegated just once in the top division of English football in 1913. Since then, the club has always played top-division football and has secured that position for the foreseeable future.
2. Arsene Wenger – Arsene Wenger was the longest-serving club manager and with the club for over 22 seasons. Under Wenger, Arsenal Football Club managed to lift seven FA trophies and three Premier League trophies. During the start of Wenger’s reign, the club managed to finish either second or first in 8 out of 10 seasons. However, the last 10 seasons have been rather unfavorable to Wenger and his tenure at Arsenal. This led to the club sacking the manager and appointing former player Mikel Arteta.
3. Club Legends – Some of Arsenal Football Club’s greatest players include Ian Right, Tony Adams, Ray Parlor, Jens Lehman, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and many more. Henry is the club’s top scorer with 228 goals to his name followed by Wright with 185. Some of Arsenal’s top rivals include Chelsea, Manchester United, Westham, etc.
Arsenal Present
Looking at Arsenal Football Club in the last decade, Arsenal has managed to lift the FA Cup four times and the Community Shield four times as well. However, that isn’t satisfactory for a club of Arsenal’s stature. While fans love winning domestic titles, it’s always in addition to a major trophy and not standalone. Arsenal had to go through changes at the managerial, staff, and player level in an overhaul of the club. Arsenal is currently managed by an ex-player (Arsenal and Man City) and ex-assistant at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta. With only a season in charge, the club managed to finish in the top 10, but not in the top-6. Arsenal’s current crop of players includes Aubameyang, Willian, Pepe, Lacazette, Saka, Ozil, Martinelli, Partey, Luiz, etc. Arsenal Football Club is still in a transition phase between letting Wenger go, appointing a new manager, building a new squad, and adopting a different style of play.
Arsenal Future
While Arsenal FC has been considered a top-4 Premier League team for a while, that’s not the case anymore. The 2010s saw the emergence of teams such as Manchester City, Tottenham, Leicester, etc. The way top teams are assessed in the Premier League is no longer the same as the last two decades. In fact, going on the past performances of the last few seasons and taking into consideration Arsenal Football Club trying to overhaul, it’s going to take some time before they can first compete for a Champions League spot consistently before vying for the Premier League title. There’s still some time and a lot more improvement before Arsenal can lift the Premier League trophy.
Arsenal Football Club has finished below 14th position just 7 times in more than 100 years. And that is a difficult feat to accomplish. While not getting relegated or finishing below a certain position is a good thing, Arsenal fans will expect the club to go back to its winning ways. It’s important for the team to sign key players in key positions. And more importantly, establish consistency in their performances in the long run.
