No matter how many straws one attempts to clutch at, sometimes you’ll never find the one you’re looking for. Or the one you’re hoping might be there somewhere, buried in a stockpile. Go back to a piece on these pages within the last week, and you will find reference to the fact that Dermot McCabe jumped ship on his role as Westmeath senior football manager in order to assume the reins of his native Cavan and – while the lure of management of ones own scarcely needs elaboration, it can only be assumed he had committed on a multi-year basis to the Lake County.
Thankfully, such gazumping is very, very rare on the GAA scene, but, in the oft head scratching world of soccer and money, it was thought nothing could surprise this observer at this stage. Until today, that is. Owing to the frankly quite amazing manner in which Arsenal managed to hijack Tottenham’s supposedly agreed deal to take the forward from Crystal Palace.
Now, being honest, if you were the player or in his position, given the choice of going to Arsenal or Spurs, which would you choose? Notwithstanding the fact that those who are now Thomas Frank’s charges won the Europa League last spring, from the viewpoint of a neutral observer, it’s not even a decision – as much as I admire Frank as a manager, I would speculate a considerable punt at the likelihood of Arteta’s army finishing higher up the league than their neighbours with large opinions of themselves.
You know, for all that there are a puzzling cohort who appear fixated on getting the Spaniard out of the Gunners’ dugout, for anybody of any sort of fair mind, the significance of finishing second on multiple occasions in the recent past is worth more credit than Arteta gets for same.
Quite simply because they eventually succumbed to Manchester City and Liverpool teams that were so far superior to 99% of those in pursuance of them that Arsenal’s consistency in getting as close to the big two as has been the case is highly commendable in itself.
So while it would be very easy to understand how sickened Crystal Palace fans and owner Simon Jordan must feel – especially in light of the genuine and noteworthy progress made by the Eagles in recent times – Eze’s decision to choose red over white in North London is common sense apart from anything else.
Whether his will be the something extra which fires the Gunners to the Promised Land, only time will tell.