With five league crowns, Man City has dominated the Premier League for six years. One of the many reasons that have contributed to their league domination is their capacity to identify and poach talent from their Premier League rivals.
Kyle Walker, who was thriving at Spurs, Jack Grealish from Villa, John Stones from Everton, Mahrez from Leicester, and Nathan Ake from Bournemouth are some of the stars Guardiola has stolen from his immediate league opponents.
Even Ake and Stones, who many people weren’t sure of, demonstrated their greatness last season. These “poached stars” have prospered.
As City signs talented players from other clubs, the teams of those clubs weaken, making City stronger and their rivals weaker.
Arsenal should adopt some of City’s strategies. The theft of Zinchenko and Jesus from them demonstrated the beneficial effects of theft from direct rivals. Even if it means hurting the competition, Arteta must seek out promising Premier League stars to bolster his team.
It’s possible that Patrick Vieira previously singled out two of his former Palace teammates, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, as smart additions to Arsenal. Which Palace player right now would be in Arsenal’s starting lineup, he asked the Mirror?
“Listen, at Palace I had the opportunity to work with some incredibly great young players, and Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze spring to mind.
“They have the potential to play in the top teams in Europe, but they are young and still have a lot to learn.”
Arsenal wants to outperform City, and in order to do that, don’t you believe they need adopt some of Guardiola’s strategies?