On Wednesday, it was announced on various websites that, aside from all the shower of praise for Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsenal will be parting company with Nike and will sign with Puma, in a sportswear deal worth £30 million per year. It's worth noting at this point that, should this news be true, Arsenal will have bagged the largest kit sponsorship deal to date, leap-frogging Liverpool's £25 million deal with American manufacturers, Warrior. According to various sites, such as the Mirror and The Week, Arsenal will start wearing Puma kits in the 2014/15 season. Funnily enough, the Mirror took it further by saying that Arsene will have 'no excuses' and 'will have money to spend now'. I'll leave that thought with you.
While this can be viewed as a magnificent coup from Arsene and the rest of the Arsenal board, I can't help thinking that this development is relatively small compared with Manchester United.
As recently as April, United announced they had struck a deal worth £15 million a season with Aon for the renaming of Carrington training ground. A relatively small sum, but every little helps, I guess.
Perhaps it would be more befitting to mention that, in 2012, it was announced that, from 2014/15, Chevrolet would be the club's main shirt sponsor, replacing Aon, at a cost of $80 million (over £52 million) a season for seven years. In total, United will earn $559 million (over £346 million).
They even managed to squeeze cash out of their off-the-pitch merchandise. In 2011, they announced that DHL would sponsor United's training kits, in a deal which would earn them £40 million over four years. Ignoring the massive debt circulating Old Trafford, it can be said that these deals, plus their share of the newly announced £5 billion TV rights, their financial situation will improve.
Manchester United are the kings of globalisation and marketing. No other English team can compete with them in this sector, unless they can be as ruthless as the Red Devils. Some may cite United's recent dip in the New York stock exchange as a signal for the future. Will they be the same superpower? I'd argue yes, but only time will tell. What remains is Manchester United's impressive sponsorship deals which place them in good stead.
Does Arsenal's 'magnificent coup' look so good now?
I digress.
On the field, Arsenal are in the best form of their season. According to Sky Sports News, Arsenal are at the top of the form table having remained unbeaten in the last eight Premier League matches. The last loss suffered by the Gunners was the defeat to Spurs on 3 March (2-1), which, one could argue, was an ultimately winnable game.
I've grown confident in this Arsenal side, but cynics will pipe up and remind me of recent seasons; the fact is, this kind of late-season surge has become commonplace for Arsenal.
It happened last season; Arsenal went on an unbeaten streak and managed to leapfrog Spurs, confirming Champions League football for the current season. One would hope the side are capable of repeating such an impressive feat. But if you subtract the influence of Robin Van Persie, and his 37 goals, one can conclude that Arsenal would not have finished anywhere near 3rd.
This season, it has been all about Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott. They are names which have so frequently cropped up in the press, for right and wrong reasons.
Santi Cazorla signed for Arsenal in a deal worth £16 million, and his contribution has been unquestionably consistent. He has featured in more Arsenal games than any other player this season, 47 and counting. What's more, his 12 goals and 10 assists have been a breath of fresh air for a midfield in dire need of inspiration. He has been voted Arsenal's Player of the Month four times by the fans this season; more than any other Arsenal player. Wenger has been questioned why he didn't sign him earlier. Whatever the reason may be, we can all be glad he did sign him.
Jack Wilshere returned to action after over 14 months on the sidelines. Rather unfairly, he was labelled as Arsenal's returning hero who could turn Arsenal's tumultuous season around. He hit the ground running. His buoyant energy excited the Arsenal fans, although some fans, I for one, grew wary of Wenger overplaying him. For many he was first on the teamsheet alongside Cazorla, but one could be forgiven for thinking he should only have played a bit-part role. In January 2013, Wenger admitted that Wilshere was 'rushed back too soon' after a lengthy six-week layoff following an ankle problem. One would hope that a healthy lay-off in the summer will leave him refreshed for next season.
Theo Walcott finally resolved his contract saga, signing a deal which, initially, would see him given more time in a more central role. And, to his credit, his 20 goals and 14 assists have proved him worthy of his new, improved contract. Every Arsenal fan hopes he can build on his improved form.
All this seems irrelevant when you remember Arsenal's premature exits from the Capital One Cup, Champions League and more notably the FA Cup; many viewed it as a winnable trophy, but Arsenal threw away the cup, as well as their hopes of a trophy this season. Losing 1-0 to Blackburn Rovers at the Emirates, the Arsenal fans were left to feel bitter. It compounded a pitiful run in the domestic cup competitions, which Arsenal fans have grown to value more highly than ever.
This season is far from over for Arsenal, however. The prospect of finishing in the top four is a realistic one; undoubtedly, however, it is a prospect in real jeopardy. The competition for Champions League spaces has, again, proven to be hotly contested, and the final two places are being competed by both Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as the Gunners. Your guess is as good as mine, but I firmly believe Arsenal are in a good position to finish fourth, being a point ahead of Tottenham with two games still to play. But let us not get complacent. Arsenal have to play Wigan (H) and Newcastle (A), both teams whose Premiership positions are unsettled. Arsenal will need to play ruthlessly, secure the 6 points required to stronghold their surge towards Champions League football in the 2013/14 season.
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