This from James McNicholas in The Athletic is pretty cool.
Years before Arsenal would become champions again, the clubâs decision-makers identified what they believed could be a rare opportunity in the Premier Leagueâs competitive cycle. After a rigorous analysis of rival squads, contract lengths, age profiles and managerial timelines, they projected a âwin windowâ between 2023 and 2027 â a period in which Manchester City and Liverpool, winners of the past eight titles between them, might finally loosen the grip on the division.
Everything Arsenal subsequently did was built around that calculation.
In the winter of 2020, with Mikel Arteta under significant pressure and the team drifting in mid-table, Arsenalâs manager flew to Denver in the United States, alongside then non-executive director Tim Lewis, to meet the clubâs owner Stan Kroenke. Together, Arteta and Lewis presented a long-term strategy designed to restore Arsenal as both a modern super-club and an elite football team.
Behind the scenes at London Colney, the project was already taking shape.
Eduâs arrival as technical director in summer 2019 triggered a radical restructuring of Arsenalâs football operation. Large sections of the scouting department were dismantled and replaced by a newly-formed Football Intelligence unit. This innovative team were tasked with building a detailed picture of English footballâs future â and Arsenalâs place in it.
That department mapped the possible decline of rival sides years in advance.
Arsenal anticipated potential managerial changes at rival clubs, foreseeing the departure of Jurgen Klopp from Liverpool, among others. They projected the age curves for players such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool and Manchester Cityâs Kevin De Bruyne. It wasnât a perfectly accurate prediction, but it provided the hierarchy with a framework. Player recruitment was then aligned to these forecasts, enabling Arsenal to assemble a squad designed to peak just as their rivals started to fade.
