Do it for Ben White.
Do it for Granit Xhaka. The ones that almost left, but stayed and became heroes again.
Do it for the Gabriel Jesuses, the Zinchenkos. The ones that looked at our project and thought: “Yeah, that’s where I want to be because something special is happening there.”
Do it for the Wilsheres, the Iwobis, the Maitland-Niles’, the Emile Smith Rowes, the academy kids that became the 3% academy graduates that played top flight football and the even smaller percentage that did it for their club.
Do it for the Nacho Monreals, for the Kieran Tierneys, the silent unsung heroes of the squads gone by that just put their head down and did the work.
Do it for the Cazorlas, the Rosickys, the Eberechi Ezes, the players that when someone says “if you love football, you love -” and you point to them.
Do it for the Eduardos, the Diabys, the ones that, god, they had it but just couldn’t stay fit long enough to show it.
Do it for the Aaron Ramseys, the ones that could have been in the previous group, but against all odds went on to become a club hero.
Do it for the Bacary Sagnas, the Theo Walcotts, the ones that stayed when others were leaving.
Do it for the Cesc Fàbregases, the ones that so many of us tried to emulate when we were playing in our Sunday league games.
Do it for the fans. The ones that have waited, the ones that have endured, and the ones that didn’t make it.
There are three matches left. Of course, every other thought I have currently is Arsenal related, I can’t stop thinking about this post from Lewis Ambrose on Bluesky.
The teams built around Cesc Fàbregas, the season we signed Özil and Aaron Ramsey exploded, the pleasure of watching Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus three years ago. God how I wish those sides could've earned the rewards for the way they made me feel. (link)
There were so many players that deserve, and I would have loved, to seen raise the Premier League or Champions League trophy. While they won’t have the opportunity, our current squad does and it is built on the foundation of the work of those that came before them. The good and the bad. I don’t think we get here without Danny Welbeck’s goal against Leicester or (trigger warning) Obefimi Martins goal in the League Cup Final.
Those moments are the building blocks for the lessons that we have learned that have gotten us here. Let’s go finish it.
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