Once more Arsenal entered the final day of their season knowing that their future plans were dependent on the outcome of one match. This time, 14 months on from the gut-punch of Baku, they got what they needed.
Beating Chelsea at Wembley is above all else a sporting triumph for Arsenal, winners of 10% of FA Cups in the competitions’ 139-year history. It is further vindication for Mikel Arteta and those who appointed him, among whom in Raul Sanllehi was one figure who had championed his arrival after Arsene Wenger’s exit in 2018 and offers propulsion for a new season that will begin in less than four weeks at Wembley with the Community Shield.
Arteta would be the first to insist that Arsenal should expect far more than Europa League football but it is hard to overstate its importance for the 2020/21 season and beyond. Financially it means at least £30million in payments from UEFA and matchday revenue that comes with reaching the group stage.
If Arteta’s side were to repeat their run to the final in Baku in 2018/19 then they could hope to earn £35million solely from UEFA before any other income is considered. It is not Champions League money but in the current climate, it is of vital importance to the Gunners.
Some of the continental bounties will be redirected to players, whose 12.5% pay cut for the 12 months from April will now be reduced to 7.5%. Some will go to the transfer fund, allowing Arteta, head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director to do more in the market than might have otherwise been possible.
Arteta has long been planning for multiple scenarios depending on what form of European football Arsenal find themselves playing in. His vision has, he confirmed in the afterglow of the Wembley triumph, already been presented to those who will be tasked with executing it.
“They know everything, I present everything to them: my vision, what my plans are, why I want to do it,” he said. “Then all together we will try our best to be in the best possible position when we start the new season.”
Chief among his demands are a dynamic presence in central midfield – Thomas Partey of Atletico Madrid remains their preferred choice – and an injection of further quality in defence with Malang Sarr on their radar. The latter will require players to be offloaded in spite of the greater funds Arsenal now have to work with.
Arteta is also understood to want an injection of greater creativity into his frontline. Arsenal is also optimistic that they will be able to secure the services of Dani Ceballos, excellent once more at Wembley, and, with the player keen to spend more time in north London, it will now be down to the Gunners and Real Madrid to agree on the specifics of a deal where the latter is believed to favour a permanent sale.
How much of this rebuild would have been possible without European football is, Arsenal are relieved to acknowledge, now unknowable. As if beating London rivals at Wembley was not pressure enough the financial ramifications of defeat weighed heavily on the club.
Arteta did all he could to ensure that it was not transmitted to his squad. “I didn’t want to add too much pressure to the players,” he said.
“I know how important it was, it was very important because we need to be in Europe. It’s a must for our club as well financially because it’s a big step forward to allow us to do more things in the future and have a better structure financially at the club as well.
“I’m very pleased for both the team winning the trophy and having the option to play in Europe.”
Arteta at least has the cornerstone of his rebuild in place and has confirmed that he plans to build his team around Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose two goals brought Arsenal victory after slipping to an early deficit when Christian Pulisic struck. There remains the matter of his contract, in its final 10 months, to sort, though the Arsenal boss hopes the next seven days could bring progress.
Saturday was hardly the first occasion this season in which Aubameyang’s goals have dug Arsenal out of a hole whilst the club captain also netted both goals in the semi-final win over Manchester City among his 29 in 44 appearances across all competitions.
That he has done so much despite being pushed into a wide left role by Arteta only serves to burgeon his standing among the many great strikers to have played for Arsenal.
“We always had incredible strikers in this football club, Auba deserves to be compared with the big names,” the Arsenal boss said. “By winning trophies he will be closer to that, the longer he stays there as well. Hopefully, we can have him for more years.
“The biggest problem probably was to convince him as well to work the way he is working because he was going to get more rewarded, more respected and then that will go from respect to admiration.
“Admiration from his team-mates, the people who work with him and the fans. Now with the way he’s conducting himself on and off the pitch, he’s got that.”
