I always love that Boycie was an Arsenal fan and Trigger a Spurs supporter - one successful but hated, the other lovable but ****.
Personally, as far as up top goes, I'm quite happy with a couple of little ones as long as the end product is good.
I am no longer sure whether I am talking about football or women there tbf
Hmmm. I will give you Kanu, Aubamayang, and Arshavin. I suppose Odegaard. I dont think Diaby or Adebayor's impact was immediate and particularly significant. Anelka didn't feature in the first team until the following season.
Two of those were donkeys years ago and Odegaard's impact wasn't immediate. Was a couple of months before he really showed what he could do.
Kanu is the most appropriate example because he joined a good side and improved it.
He forced his way into the starting XI, ESR moved wide taking Gabby M's role on the wing and Odin was player of the month in March.
He also had an article in the paper saying he was the master of the pre-assist - that he could see and play the ball to whoever could then assist.
I'd say it was an immediate impact.
Monreal was to cover Gibbs who'd just got injured and we'd seen Santos couldn't defend. He made the place his own and never looked back.
Ade and Auba both played over a dozen PL games in that half season, and Abou got injured by that northern monkey at the start of May. I'd happily sign either of those this window. But given we need a striker, Kanu or the Togonator would be perfect.
Agree with that but how could you forget Nacho? Best AW LB since Cashley. Could play CH too. Good defender who scored and assisted to boot. Shouldn't have signed Kolasinac - he was a back 5 wing back, not an AW back 4 attacking FB. I loved Nacho.
I guess that sums up the latter AW years. We had a decent back 4 with Nacho-Kos-Per-HB, we had decent MFs with Arteta, JW, Rambo, plus Santi and Ozil. Had Alexis, Feo and Olly then Auba.
But while each of the three parts were good, they didn't all fit together like the team does now.
AW was 4-4-2 at heart. The only time his 4-3-3 looked like working was when we had Cesc at no.10. He could score and assist like an old skool no.10 but also do the MF donkey work. Ozil was a beautiful player, but couldn't do the MD defending and pressing like Cesc or Odin and he also didn't score as many as he should have done like Bergy.
Ozil was a bit of a throwback to the old school 'free man'. In the modern game that guy needs to be able to press and be part of a system. Ozil was better when he was allowed to roam.
One of the problem of the players you mention up there was that too many of them were injury prone. Ramsey, Jack, Santi, Theo- they'd all go missing for months at a time. Same with Rosicky- what a beautiful footballer he was. Injury half killed him![]()