The battle for the Premier League crown is very likely to witness an intense bloodshed, humungous competition and only the best shall be appreciated in the merry month of May. Undeniably, the quality in the top tier of English football is more than ever and apart from the players, the managers’ grit and wit is to be put to a tough test as well. Monsieur Wenger has cleared a test though!
Arsenal, one of the contenders for the league title (yes, the bottlers are making their fans dream yet again), have been showing signs of resoluteness in their defence which had been a laughable one until the last season.
Placed fourth in the league table, a couple of points behind Liverpool who are the table toppers at the moment, Arsenal have struck gold as they have successfully made Héctor Bellerín sign a new six-year deal which is a morale boosting for the Gunners after a negotiation that lasted merely four days.
As The Joker Had Said, “It’s Not About Money, It’s About Sending A Message!”
A huge sigh of relief must be blowing across the Emirates Stadium, for the have successfully shooed the interest from Manchester City and Barcelona in acquiring the services of Bellerín. With over £100,000 per week in wages, the Spaniard is one of the best-paid players under Arsène Wenger and when the world class duo of Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez are taking their time to put the pen to the paper, securing Bellerín on a long-term basis is just the thing Arsenal needed at the moment.
The North London outfit, however, are shedding their tag of ‘a feeder club’ as their ambitions were clearly reflected with the deals and signings they have been making after their financial shackles were loosened.
Irreplaceable? Very Much!
To highlight that the young right-back is an irreplaceable element in the Arsenal lineup is an understatement. Electric pace, defensive resoluteness and a perfect attacking material under the tutelage of Wenger, Bellerín’s consistency has seen his career take a meteoric escalation and is thus considered as one of the finest defenders in the League.
Mathieu Debuchy has lost his touch and Carl Jenkinson is still a squad player, which is why the 21-year-old’s importance in the team has raised manifold. Bellerín’s statistics do the talking.
The Spaniard has won 6 tackles, made 25 interceptions, 3 blocks and has created as many as 8 chances in 11 league appearances so far. His terrifying pace to surge forward and the ability to outpace the opponents while tracking back has been put on display time and again by him. He is growing as a player and can definitely serve the glorious club for a long time.
Fuel To The Fire
Owing to the way the road to the league title is shaping up, the news of the contract extension of the Arsenal’s speedster is a welcome event at the club and might be the impetus that was needed to tie down Özil and Sánchez as well. Arsenal do need their main men to fire and pondering over contracts can only do harm to the pursuits of the club.
Further, to maintain a stronghold and to ensure the existence of the same, Wenger’s side need to maintain the cohesiveness that has taken years to build.
Statistics Credits: Squawka.
