Analysis of how Arteta disposed of every single one of Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup Winners for peanuts

Pepe’s free transfer move to Turkey means that Arteta is now working with none of the players who started the 2020 FA Cup Final.

Tierney is hanging on by a thread, still officially employed by Arsenal, but aware that his loan to Spain might not be designed as a way to prove his manager is wrong.

When you dissect the 11 who last won us a trophy it highlights Arteta’s regularity in giving up on talent who don’t suit his ethos, to the point we have lost serious money on assets.

I maintain the Kroenke’s should have made it part of the job specification that a new boss gets the best out of resources he inherits.

Isn’t that what a coach is meant to do?

Arteta has spent his manager career thinking it’s okay to wash your hands of players.

Even if you agree that they were not good enough to wear the shirt, I refuse to believe that in an inflated market we couldn’t get more money back?

At the end of the day, these are the names who won Arteta his only trophy so far, if you don’t include Community Shields ……..

Martinez – GK (20 million)

One of the stories of the Cup Final was a tearful Martinez revealing a promise he made his father.

One day he would return to South America with a winners medal.

On this day, that vow came true.

The Argentine started the Community Shield as well even though Leno was now fit, indicating Arteta was willing to start the season with him as his number 1.

Our manager’s desire was to have two goalies competing with each other, believing competition would bring out the best in both.

The keeper though, wanted guarantees before he would extend his contract, assurances his boss wasn’t willing to give.

If the future World Cup Winner backed his own ability, he probably would still be at the Emirates today?

By giving the club an ultimatum, they had zero choice but to accept Aston Villa’s 20-million-pound offer.

Maitland Niles – LB (free transfer)

Man Of the Match at Wembley, this is what was frustrating about Nile’s Arsenal career.

Three full time managers deemed his strengths suitable to be a full back, yet before and after this final he publicly made it clear he didn’t want to play in that position.

So many from the youth set up would have bitten off your hand for the opportunities the 26-year-old has had.

There’s nothing wrong with having faith in your own ability, but you equally have to trust those in charge of your development.

August 2020 would be as good as it would get for Niles who would win his only England cap, again though at left back.

It’s believed Wolves were willing to give us 20 million for the academy graduate. A lot of money for someone who 6 months later would be sent out on loan to West Brom, then Roma, then Southampton till his contract expired.

At none of those clubs did he come close to being the midfielder that only exists in his imagination.

Now at Lyon..

Bellerin – RB (contract ripped up)

Already injury prone when Arteta was Bellerin’s captain, it was feared that when the Spaniard ruptured his cruciate ligament, he had the lost the pace which had been his biggest asset.

To be fair his manager gave him a length of time to prove he could return to previous levels, patience not always given by Arteta.

Once deemed past his best though, his boss washed his hands of his former teammate.

A loan to Real Betis was intended to get him off the wage bill, not to earn his place back in the team.

If it was, he had done well enough in La Liga (winning the Copa Del Rey) to be ahead of the likes of Cedric in the pecking order.

By last summer clubs knew the Gunners willingness to release players if it meant slashing the wage bill.

After over a decade in London where he had been since a teenager, 239 appearances and 3 FA Cup medals, he deserved to leave with more fanfare than having his contract ripped up.

Tierney – CB (loan)

Back then, Tierney was being predicted as a future Arsenal captain for stories such as carrying his boots to training in a Tesco carrier bag.

The players issue was that since moving to England he’s never really had a season where he didn’t have a spell on the sidelines, which means he could no longer be viewed as reliable.

As demonstrated at Wembley, he has the versatility to start in the middle and plan when to switch to the left.

Yet Arteta now wants his left back to also be able to time when to link up with midfield, crucial to our tactics.

In some ways that makes Tierney’s qualities old fashioned.

Defensively though, you could argue he’s still the best option we have.

Letting him go to Real Sociedad could yet come back and haunt Arteta.

If the Gunners had rejected a substantial sum for a squad player, Gooners might have understood.

In reality we accepted a loan for a 26-year-old who’s never let us down, and at the very least could help us close out a game.

All to get him off the wage bill.

Luiz – CB (free transfer)

his two years at Arsenal were not as bad as some Gooners make out.

His best displays for us were in the FA Cup Semi Final and Final. Contributing to one of our 14 FA Cups is something you can’t take away from him.

Several youngsters have been thankful to the leadership he gave them, while he was the only centre back we had at the time who could pick a pass, crucial to our tactics.

He holds the record for the number of penalties conceded by a single player in one season.

Yet a winners medal and helping the development of youth.

Signed at the age of 32 as a stop gap, we couldn’t ask for much more.

Neither party had interest in his stay being any longer

Holding – CB (4 million)

You could argue that Rob Holding’s two best performances for Arsenal came in FA Cup Finals?

With Arteta ‘s strengths at the Etihad being coaching talent on a 1 to 1 basis, I truly thought he could teach Holding new skills.

That seemed to the case when the defender extended his contract and played 30 League games in Arteta’s first full season (the most in his career).

Signings of White and then Saliba no longer being loaned out, pushed Holding back down the pecking order.

With attackers pressing, defenders needing to be comfortable in possession and even able to build attacks, Holding’s skills make him old school.

Given our history of selling players on the fringes, Palace understandably waited for the 11th hour of the market and were willing to get a quality defender still at his peak for just 4 million!

Ceballos – CM (return to parent club)

Performance during COVID convinced Arsenal to extend the Spaniard’s loan for a second season.

Some Gooners made the midfielder sound better than he was, and our insistence not to have any obligations on a permanent deal was more of us finding a way to fill a space in the squad on the cheap, not that we actually rated the player.

Still at Real Madrid.

Xhaka – CM (17 million)

Lifted the FA Cup in the same season where he responded to being jeered at the Emirates, by throwing down the captain’s armband.

Refusal to apologise as Emery had asked led to many (including the player) to believe he would never play for us again.

He won respect of many fans though by sticking by his convictions and detailing the length of abuse he was receiving.

Pushing him forward was a tactical master class and led to Xhaka’s best football for us.

The Amazon Documentary put over how he was one of the few leaders we had in the dressing room.

Sold for 17 million, many Gooners would rather he had stayed to offer experience.

Aubameyang – LF (contract ripped up)

It’s strange to think that before, during and after the Cup Final, all the attention was on everyone at Arsenal (including Arteta) willing Auba to sign a new contract.

We never learnt from the Ozil saga, allowing our best player to run down his deal so we had to pay over the odds for someone in his thirties with zero re-sale value.

Due to poor time keeping and not adhering to his manager’s ‘non-negotiable’ principles those in power quickly regretted the salary they were paying to their captain and (like Ozil) did everything in their power to make their skipper so miserable he would be willing to rip up his deal.

Having set a precedent with Ozil, Barcelona knew that if they called our bluff, we would eventually not demand any fee.

We essentially gave away our best striker without getting a replacement, costing us a place in the top 4.

Long term though it sent a message to the dressing room that the Kroenke Family would back their manager over any player.

Lacazette – CF (free transfer)

While Arsenal were desperate for Auba to extend his deal, his best mate Laca was allowed to run down his contract which both parties seemed content with?

The cruel irony was the saga involving Aubameyang finally gave Lacazette what he wanted, a consistent run in the first team as our main striker.

The only issue being was that this came with just months left on the players deal.

No one can doubt the Frenchman’s work ethic, but it seemed odd to trust a player to fire us into the top 4 when he knew he would be playing elsewhere.

Since Auba’s last game for us, Lacazette managed just one penalty.

The decision to trust him and Eddie Nketiah to replace Auba and not bring in a replacement cost us a place in the Champions League.

Pepe– RF (Arsenal have confirmed he has had his contract ripped up)

It’s worth stressing Pepe did assist our winner at Wembley.

In many ways his case highlights the issue once Arteta thinks you don’t suit his ethos.

After his first full season in charge our manager was either unable or unwilling to improve the attacker’s confidence and seemed to have given up on him?

Even when he gave Auba away and Laca and Eddie were struggling, he refused to give Pepe a chance.

Bizarrely, Pepe as a sub scored and assisted against Wolves but still couldn’t get a start.

While long proving he wasn’t worth 72 million, 6 goals in 19 league games for Nice surely warranted more than a free transfer.

Again, Trabzonspor knew, based on history, that Arsenal’s priority was just to get him off the wage bill and not get a decent fee.

Based on these transfer figures, Arsenal recouped less than 50 million from selling a whole team of FA Cup winners!