Alexander Hleb had never consistently played for the Gunners the previous two years. Those years had been marked by injuries and he had never been one of the main cogs in the Arsenal offence

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By Michael Jung

What do Flamini, Hleb, and Adebayor have in common? They all came off their best season ever in an Arsenal shirt last season. All three elevated their games and decided that it was time to cash in on their overachieving.
Last summer I was expecting Flamini to leave. In all the seasons he had played at Arsenal I had seen him show the kind of play he exhibited last season. He took his chance (the absence of Gilberto) and he made the position his own. It was a dramatic difference over the Flamini we’d seen the previous years.

Alexander Hleb had never consistently played for the Gunners the previous two years. Those years had been marked by injuries and he had never been one of the main cogs in the Arsenal offence.

That changed last year. He stayed injury free and was at the heart of the Arsenal offence. While many will quibble with his lack of scoring, they will have to admit that he was dramatically better last year over his previous two seasons. Emmanuel Adebayor also had a career year. His previous season and a half saw him playing second fiddle to the likes of Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie. His finishing was atrocious, but the potential was obviously there.

Last season he shouldered most of the Arsenal offence, especially given the injuries to van Persie and Eduardo. While he still squandered opportunities and was constantly offside, there can be no denying that he had a tremendous year. All three of these players had dramatic improvements to their games and all three decided to cash in on their success. One suspects that they won’t be the last to do this either.

If there is a bright side to all of this it is that there probably lurks within the Arsenal squad players capable of making the same transformation this coming season, players who’ve been underperforming so far.

Robin van Persie has the potential (if he is injury free) to take the Premier League by storm. Theo Walcott has given us glimpses of the player he could become. Abou Diaby has amazing potential in the heart of midfield. Perhaps Denilson might make this his season, Niklas Bendtner has also shown signs of an emerging talent. Maybe Tomas Rosicky will finally show his potential if he stays healthy?

The one positive thing about Arsenal is their abundance of youth. Players who are in their early twenties have the potential to elevate their games and make dramatic improvements. The list above is not complete, but all it takes is for three or four talents to emerge from the squad. The key is hoping that these new talents don’t try to cash in on their success and hold the club to ransom again.