Why I support Arsenal

Arsenal Football Club. My club. When I announce myself as an Arsenal fan, people always ask me why I chose them as my team. At the end of the day, I live in the US, with no ties to London. Most people my age support Barcelona or Madrid, due to their affinity towards Messi or Ronaldo, respectively. Premier League fans usually support Chelsea, Liverpool, or Manchester United, although there are plenty of Big 6 fans in the states.

So why Arsenal? A club without historical dominance, akin to Manchester United. A club without recent dominance, akin to Manchester City. A club without a recent Champions League, like Chelsea, or Liverpool. Even Spurs may seem like a more enticing choice to foreign fans, supporting a big 6 team that comes with built-in copium that you are supporting some sort of underdog.

So then, why Arsenal? The answer I usually give people is because of Bukayo Saka. The starboy I fell in love with during the Euros of 2020. Missing the biggest penalty of his young career, yet using that as motivation to become the face of the league. I tell people its because of the project, because what Arteta is building is for the next 10 years. I feel that many of the other juggernauts have already had their best days behind them. And all that is true. But the real truth is not that.

The real reason I support Arsenal is because we suck.

That’s what rival fans say at least, right? No Champions Leagues. Our best run in Premier League history was spent being second fiddle to Fergie’s Red Devils. The only dominance we have is in FA Cups, which is kind of a meme in itself. You may ask how a club with such little silverware is an appealing one to support. I raise a counterquestion: why does a club with so little silverware have so many freaking fans?

It’s because Arsenal fans don’t choose the club because of seeing them 3-peat the Champions League. We watch the games and fall in love with the style of play. First or last, Arsenal always maintains its young, electric, attacking identity. It represents the club of the people. Seriously - check out the social media. What other club posts this many fan-driven initiatives and modern edits?

A few years ago, when we finished 8th, people called for Arteta out. We got trolled, obviously. People say our fans overreact and call for drastic changes at every turn. I say our fans are passionate even when we suffer because we loving this football club. Can you imagine if City finished 8th? Would their stadium even be half full?

In fact, in the words of club legend Thierry Henry, Arsenal is the club of the streets because it was one of the first clubs to have a good amount of black players. I still think we are the club of the streets. Regardless of what people say, I can’t imagine any team in the world that isn’t jealous of the Arteta project. One of the youngest teams in the league on top of the table. Making the quarterfinals of the UCL. I refuse to believe United fans can watch our games and not envy the fact that we have a 22-year old Bukayo Saka on our right wing instead of Antony. I refuse to believe a Chelsea fan can truly watch our games and not secretly grunt at Enzo and Caicedo being far, far worse $100M midfielders that Declan Rice. I refuse to believe that Spurs fans that rep “Madders” can watch our captain Martin Ødegaard without being in awe.

We have a young squad full of the best players in the world. Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Ødegaard, Saka, the list goes on. This is who we are.

Kai Havertz’s current stint in North London proves exactly why I love this team. He used to be a touted Leverkusen wonderkid, some said the next Robin Van Persie. Became Chelsea’s most expensive signing ever. Scored in the UCL final, but his years at Stamford Bridge had lows and highs. I believe he was a scapegoat, along with Mount, Pulisic, and others, and while Boehly’s plan of hoarding wonderkids sounded incredible at first, it has failed - no ifs and buts about it.

Havertz came into Arsenal, an expensive signing. Many fans were against it, but some saw the vision. I did. At times I wondered if it was too ambitious, but Arteta could buy Kepa and play him on the left wing and I would have full faith in the project. At first, Arsenal fans were not all in, but I saw sentiment change over time. I can’t lie, he was useless at first. But bad performances turned into promising ones. He would turn the ball over in midfield 5 times, but then make a sneaky run that drew 4 defenders and almost score.

Then the goals started coming in. and Arsenal fans, who had been more supportive of Havertz during his slump than Chelsea had ever been, started to fully embrace Kai. The truth is, he is an enigma of a player. He will make a run and receive the ball in a way 90% of players could never make. But then miss the chance that 90% of strikers would convert. Is he bad? Is he good? He missed an open chance. A chance that wouldn’t have existed without him.

He is the type of player I love and he is Arsenal Football Club. He is chaos that is unable to be understood. He is a donkey-loving teddy bear that would go to war over a bad tackle. He is a rival fan’s low hanging fruit but our tactical manager’s secret weapon. To quote a tweet from an Arsenal fan account on Twitter, we are a club that gives a chance to oddities, ugly ducklings, and the young. This is our history & DNA. I’m proud of it.

Now we have a crazy remainder of the season left. We have both PL and UCL dreams, both of which I had given up on just a month ago. I really believe we are strong contenders for both. You may call me a delusional Arsenal fan. I say, this is the fogging estandard.