The Arsenal team of a few years ago and the one of today are practically unrecognisable.
Mikel Arteta’s leadership and Edu Gaspar’s signings have transformed the perennial underachievers into one of the best teams in Europe, with only the likes of Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli remaining from the teams picked by former manager Unai Emery.
In fact, the North Londoners have such an elite group of players that four of them were named in this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist, which would’ve been a laughable concept a few years ago.
That said, one of the old guard sold by Arteta in recent years has also found himself on the list of nominees, and there are likely still portions of the fanbase who wish he was still donning Arsenal’s red and white.
Arsenal’s Ballon d’Or nominees
So, it might not be the Premier League title, but the fact Arsenal have four first teams on this year’s Ballon d’Or nominees list is seriously impressive.
The first name that will surprise nobody is Saka, who enjoyed another stellar campaign last year, racking up a frankly absurd haul of 20 goals and 14 assists in just 47 games and then playing a pivotal role in England’s run to the European Championship final in the summer.
Joining the Englishman on the list for a second year running is club captain Martin Odegaard, who took another step up both in his on-pitch performances and leadership abilities, ending the year with 11 goals and 11 assists.
