Arsenal: Real talk – Henrikh Mkhitaryan may become best thing ever

Arsenal got Henrikh MKhitaryan for free. Which is just one of the multitude of reasons why he is quickly emerging as potentially the best thing ever.

Arsenal have had a lot of bests. The best striker to ever play in England. The best FA Cup record. The best at ruining Spurs dreams. But Henrikh Mkhitaryan is quickly laying the foundation to prove that he may well be another one of the best things ever.

The reason I’m calling this real talk is because it’s coming from an emotional, spur of the moment standpoint and not so much from the statistical, logical standpoint. Obviously Henrikh Mkhitaryan isn’t the best thing ever. The best thing ever is easily like, chips, or beer.

From an emotional standpoint though, it may damn well be Mkhitaryan. Consider this with me, if you will. Any signing is going to be welcomed, loved and adored by the rabid Gunner fan base. There is no guarantee how long that love will last, but at least from the start, there will be love.

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There are certain ways to build on that love inherently – work hard, produce solid statistics, have a damn smile on your face (I know that’s a lot to ask for *cough* Alexis *cough*). Mkhitaryan has done all of that. He led the team in ball-winning, he had three assists, he was a monster out there.

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But there are other ways to win love as well, and one is to selflessly give without any hope of obtaining anything in return. Mesut Ozil did this when he donated his World Cup winnings to a Brazilian hospital. I probably shouldn’t have led with that example, because it is on a completely different level from my Mkhitaryan example, but still.

Mkhitaryan stayed late in practice so that he could deliver balls to the strikers, who were working on finishing. This is normally the coach’s job, but Mhkitaryan thought he’d do it instead. Arsene Wenger has played it down, calling the Armenian “a professional” and expressing no shock whatsoever, but that’s how he should react. This wasn’t a stunt by Mkhitaryan.

Check another item off the “best thing ever” to-do list. How else can he endear himself to fans? He can stick it to the nemesis of the club – one Jose Mourinho. Mourinho absolutely wasted Mkhitaryan and nearly destroyed him. In letting him go to Arsenal, he freed a cage bird and now that bird is singing. He is proving how daft Mourinho was in his usage of the Armenian.

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What’s next? Consistency. Trophies. You know, that stuff. But for now, that foundation is being laid for a seriously special player, not just in production, but in every other facet. And that is why I think he is on the fast track to becoming the best thing ever.