Arsene Wenger looks on during Arsenal’s 8-2 defeat to Manchester United in 2011 (Photo by Alex Livesey, Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Most Arsenal fans would rather not remember the events of 28th August 2011, but looking back now on the morning after the Gunners have been confirmed as the new Premier League champions, it looks like possibly one of football’s great sliding-doors moments.
That dark day in Arsenal’s history, almost 15 years ago now, was of course the famous 8-2 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Most managers would quite possibly have been sacked on the spot after that, but, somewhat remarkably, Arsene Wenger would carry on in the job for a further seven years.
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But it was what he did in the days after the defeat that ended up setting Arsenal onto a different path, with the heavy defeat putting the club under immense pressure to carry out some late summer transfer window spending.
That defeat came on a Sunday, while Deadline Day was on Wednesday. Arsenal left it late, but eventually agreed a deal with Everton to sign Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta.
Mikel Arteta – the most influential panic buy ever?
Arteta had been a solid player for Everton, and not someone they’d have wanted to lose, but most Arsenal fans were probably not that over the moon about the deal. Still, he and Per Mertesacker came in to add a bit more experience to a youthful Arsenal side that had just taken such an almighty battering, and they proved successful as that team eventually finished third.
In the following years, Arteta became a reliable performer in Arsenal’s midfield, eventually becoming club captain and lifting a couple of FA Cups before retiring in 2016. He was no Patrick Vieira or Cesc Fabregas, but Gooners had warmed to him, and gave him a fond farewell in his final appearance at the Emirates Stadium at the end of the…
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