Arsenal very Lucky that Wenger changed his mind on midfielder

When Arsenal had announced that we were re- signing Mathieu Flamini, many were sceptical over the signing for many different reasons. Firstly people were not sure if he was really a good player after all of the injuries he had sustained, as well as some concerns over his current fitness. Then there was also the issue over the fact that his signing meant that we wouldn’t be bringing in a true defensive midfielder, and after being linked with the likes of Luis Gustavo and Geoffrey Kondogbia, that wasn’t easy news to hear. However a few weeks down the line and both Wenger and Flamini have proved us wrong, with the French midfield man proving to be well worth his price tag of £0. Of course the fact we got him on a free makes the deal even sweeter because although this was another thing that annoyed many Arsenal fans at the time the deal occurred, now a few weeks down the line, suddenly we find ourselves lapping it up that Wenger managed to secure such a quality player on a free transfer. But even Wenger himself had doubts over signing Flamini, as Le Prof revealed to Arsenal.com: Wenger said, “First of all I believe that he realised what he had here. When you’re very young, it is difficult to understand what he had at Arsenal. “I must say I was reluctant to sign him again but he was so honest in his statement that he wants to play the kind of football we play, that he wants to help us to win. He convinced me through his attitude and his desire in training that he will be the right signing for us. It was his attitude. He could have gone somewhere else. He had offers but he wanted to put it right with this club and I think he felt somewhere that he had something to bring to the piece here. He was determined to do that. “(He is) absolutely crucial to the balance of the team. He has done very well. He had not played since May and when you see how well he came in, it shows you how well, how focused and how dedicated he was in his preparation. He’s got what is needed in every team. I wouldn’t say we lacked that as much as people say but he is of course important for the balance of the team that we have players with his qualities.” Flamini’s efforts in both the Spurs and Sunderland games have proved he is still a very effective player and although he may not have the best technical ability, his passion and determination to win makes him very influential on the pitch and I honestly think this is what we value most in Flamini. I truly value Flamaini’s efforts so far and think he will be far more important that many originally thought. He will prove to be vital for squad depth, but also like already mentioned, the fact that he is extremely passionate for the club and competitive for Arsenal to come away with nothing but all three points. We have missed a character like this both on the pitch and off it, especially ever since the glory days but now it seems like we may have found our man.