Arsenal: Alex Iwobi is breaking the Arsene Wenger plateau

Alex Iwobi has substantially stepped up his performance level since the start of the season. The Arsenal midfielder is breaking through the Arsene Wenger plateau.

Arsene Wenger was often heralded as a great developer of players. His eye for talent, and vast knowledge of the European market, which was unparalleled in England during his early years in north London, allied with his detailed coaching made Arsenal a hotbed for young, burgeoning talent.

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But as Wenger’s time at the club deteriorated and the size of the footballing world shrank, the huge leaps that his players made shrunk. They were now standing still. In fact, by the end of his tenure, many of the previously heralded young stars had stagnated to the point of depreciation. They were actually getting worse, not better.

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One of those players was Alex Iwobi. He broke onto the scene a little over two seasons ago, in a famed start against Barcelona in the Champions League. He ended the 2015/16 season is sparkling form and was widely christened as the next great attacking talent to come from London Hale, following in the footsteps of Jack Wilshere. But since that breakthrough, Iwobi’s progression has stalled.

Two consecutive seasons of shattered confidence and niggling injuries left the Nigerian on the outside looking in as Wenger’s tenure wound to an end. And when Unai Emery arrived to succeed the Frenchman and usher in a refreshing a new era, some posited that Iwobi could be a candidate to move on with his talent and loyalties to Wenger often being rewarded, perhaps more than his performances ever deserved.

However, Iwobi remained at the Emirates and, since the start of the season, has played with a far greater vigour, intensity and purpose than he ever did under Wenger bar the first few months he broke onto the scene. He is playing with assurance, intention, drive and freedom. He is taking defenders on, trying things, being creative in his decision-making and not being afraid of failure.

Sure, some of the things that he attempts aren’t coming off. And he, like every attacking player, has made mistakes, poor decisions, errant passes or mistimed shots. But he is remaining positive in his outlook, intentional in his play, and productive in his contributions to the team — Iwobi has three assists and one goal in 377 Europa League and Premier League minutes.

This re-emergence flies in contrast to the trajectory of his career prior to Wenger’s departure. Iwobi, like so many before him, had plateaued, and it looked as though he may not ever take the next step to fulfil his potential. It’s not fair to solely attribute this recent uptick in performance on the departure of Wenger and arrival of Emery, but it should not go unnoticed that it wasn’t until Wenger exited that Iwobi again began to show signs of real improvement.

He has broken through the stagnation that had crippled the growth of so many young talents under Wenger. Whether it will continue remains to be seen, but, for now, Iwobi is on another level, and it might just be because Emery, not Wenger, is his coach.