Arsenal: Wenger’s “anonymous” dud cost the Gunners £1.7m per goal

Arsenal are back where they belong thanks to the revival of Mikel Arteta’s squad, as the Spaniard continues to turn things around at the Emirates after a difficult start to life as a manager at his former club.

The Gunners fired themselves into a title charge last season, leading the pack for the majority of the campaign before being knocked off their perch by Manchester City, who won the Premier League by five points in their bid for the treble.

Despite the agony of being so close after years of mediocrity by Arsenal’s standards, Arteta led his team to fulfilling their goal of being reinstated into Europe’s elite with Champions League qualification.

From the later years of Arsene Wenger’s tenure, to Unai Emery’s highs to quick lows during his 18-month stay, the Gunners endured a spell of over a decade without making significant progress.

The failure to grasp consistency, to players coming and going and viewing Arsenal as a stepping stone in their personal progression, the north Londoners seem to be exiting the tunnel of adequacy thanks to Arteta’s clear motive for success.

In 2018, the Emirates saw a host of changes and struggles, with star player Alexis Sanchez opting to leave for Manchester United, and Wenger departing that summer as Emery took charge.

The sale of Sanchez reinforced the lack of progression in north London, yet his ugly exit was quickly eased by the arrival of United midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

When did Arsenal sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan?

The January window of 2018 saw drama unfold between United and Arsenal, as the two fierce rivals engaged in a swap deal as Alexis went to Old Trafford and Mkhitaryan arrived at the Emirates.

After the theatrics and negativity that the Chilean induced at the club due to his poor mindset and desire to leave, the Armenian’s arrival dispersed a sense of relief and excitement, as the Gunners realised the talent that had acquired despite painfully losing their superstar.

While the former Borussia Dortmund playmaker didn’t impose his best game at Old Trafford, there was hope that the extent of the 28-year-old’s talent would unfold under Wenger’s free-flowing style of play.

That January was a pivotal time for both Arsenal and Mkhitaryan, as the Gunners later welcomed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the club, who was a former teammate of the Armenia international in Germany.

The angst felt towards Alexis was quickly relieved by the arrival of the former Dortmund duo, as a new wave of talent arrived with the goal of achieving at the Emirates.

How much did Henrikh Mkhitaryan earn at Arsenal?

Mkhitaryan was one of United’s top-earners in the 2017/18 campaign, and with a high calibre talent came a high wage demand.

The Gunners matched the £200k-per-week salary of the 28-year-old at Old Trafford, eased by the exit of Sanchez, who relieved Arsenal of paying out his monstrous wage of £350k-per-week.

Mkhitaryan was introduced into the squad as the north Londoner’s second-highest earner, picking up a hefty salary of £10.4m-per-year.

How many goals did Mkhitaryan score?

There was a lot of excitement regarding Mkhitaryan’s arrival, despite his inability to fully translate his quality to the Premier League during his 18-month stay at Old Trafford.

Prior to his move to United, the Armenian had an unbelievable campaign in Germany, recording 55 direct goal contributions in 52 appearances in all competitions, scoring 23 and assisting 32 for Dortmund.

In Manchester, Mkhitaryan managed only a fraction of that level of performance, scoring 13 and assisting 11 in a total of 63 appearances for the Red Devils, warranting his swift exit just a year and a half after his arrival.

The form that the former Dortmund whiz portrayed at United should have sparked a slight level of concern from Arsenal’s side, particularly as they were handing over a player with 80 goals in 166 appearances in Sanchez.

There were however signs of encouragement in his first campaign in the capital, as in his first Premier League start for his new club, he rolled back the years by recording three assists during Arsenal’s 5-1 demolition of Everton, assisting his former teammate Aubameyang to reminisce on their perfect partnership at Westfalenstadion.

Mkhitaryan ended his first spell at the Emirates with nine goal involvements in 17 appearances, scoring three and assisting six in all competitions to round off an adequate introduction.

Unfortunately, things just didn’t tick in England for the Armenian the way they did in Germany, as in his second campaign, he scored only six goals in a total of 39 appearances, form that saw him slip down the pecking order as he battled injury and lacklustre performances.

Was he worth it?

After his first full season at Arsenal, the club made the decision to send the midfielder on loan to Roma in 2019, which subsequently marked the end of his time in north London as he signed permanently for the Italian outfit in 2020 after failing to make an impact under Emery.

In 59 appearances, Mkhitaryan left the Emirates having scored just nine goals, a poor record considering his primary deployment being on the flank with his role to advance in the final third.

It wasn’t just his uninspiring form in front of goal that contributed to his premature axing at Arsenal, as he was often untraceable on the pitch, reinforced by him being dubbed as “anonymous” by journalist Layth Yousif, who blasted one of his performances as “pitiful”.

What was most concerning was that while he failed to grasp the demands of playing in the Premier League, Arsenal were paying Mkhitaryan a blockbuster wage of £200k-per-week, which over his 18 months at the club, racked up an expenditure of £15.6m in salary alone.

To put such costs into perspective, the Armenian cost Arsenal around £1.7m per goal he scored while at the club, highlighting just how horrendous the deal proved to be, with the pill made somewhat easier to swallow as Sanchez also failed to perform at United.

What is Henrikh Mkhitaryan doing now?

Ironically, the two players involved in the terrible swap deal in January 2018 have found sanctuary playing together at Inter Milan.

At the San Siro, Mkhitaryan’s poor form in front of goal has continued, portrayed by his mere seven goals and three assists in 59 appearances so far for the Nerazzurri, with the height of his career proving to have come in Germany.

Arsenal were rinsed by the Armenian’s monumental salary, yet were lucky that his tenure in the capital lasted only 18 months to spare any additional financial strain to maintain the midfielder.