The beginning of Mikel Arteta’s rule threatened to topple those years of prosperity under Arsene Wenger, but Arsenal has experienced some wonderful moments during its lengthy history.
Following the great Frenchman’s retirement, Unai Emery had trouble making an immediate impression, so the leadership exchanged one Spaniard for another and instead put their faith in youngsters.
His most recent tenure has given them all the rewards their commitment deserved despite a turbulent first two years. They are, however, a long way from achieving their ultimate objective of unseating Manchester City and regaining the Premier League championship.
It is well known that in order to accomplish this, Edu will need to reinvest massively this summer, adding more depth to a starting XI that, when fully fit, could potentially compete with anyone throughout Europe.
The Brazilian sporting director can try to imitate the main players from those earlier golden eras in an effort to recreate the success of previous regimes.
Luckily for him and Arteta, Orkun Kokcu’s availability for just €40 million (£35 million) and their rumoured interest from last month may enable them to replicate Cesc Fabregas’ early years in north London.
Can Orkun Kokcu match Cesc Fabregas’ style of play?
The Spaniard was an all-action box-to-box great who would claim goals and assists from deep until he reverted to a metronome-like figure in the engine room of Barcelona and Chelsea.
The now-36-year-old Fabregas scored 11 goals in his first full season with the first squad before raising that total to 17 the year after.
The peak, though, was undoubtedly reached in the 2009–10 campaign, when he contributed to 38 goals overall, including 15 goals and 15 assists in the league alone.
It came as little surprise when Wenger said at the time, “He is one of the best young players I have ever seen. I have seen a lot of young guys start in the game. He provided a few final passes, helped set up the game’s opening goal, and participated in a number of crucial situations. It is quite pleasant.
Given how Kokcu’s offensive prowess propelled Feyenoord to an improbable title victory in Holland, they would add another youthful goalscoring star from deep in Kokcu.
In order to highlight his pedigree and echo Wenger’s earlier compliments, Mohamed Sissoko, a former Juventus great, has named the 22-year-old “the best in his league” with 12 goals and five assists this season.
When compared to other midfielders in Europe, he rates in the top 3% for progressive carries per 90 and the top 1% for shot-creating actions per 90. His statistics are dressed up in a similar all-action play style that saw Fabregas leap to stardom.
Therefore, it may not come as a surprise to see observers in the game make such parallels. For example, Nick Gada stated during the beginning of Orkun Kokcu’s career: “Can see why Arteta is after Orkun Kokcu. He has unbelievable passing skill for a 19-year-old. There are numerous parallels to a Fabregas or Cazorla.
Therefore, Edu might give Arteta more firepower to replace the departing Granit Xhaka in this explosive Turkish superstar and enable the 41-year-old head coach to further shape him in the likeness of his great compatriot.