Arsenal are currently loving life under Mikel Arteta, as he has rebuilt the squad into a title-challenging one after inheriting a mess.
Before Arteta rejoined Arsenal to take his first managerial job in December 2019, the Gunners were in crisis. Unai Emery started the season under immediate pressure after the humiliation of losing 4-1 to Chelsea in the Europa League final, and performances were dire.
Arsenal were a disaster in defence, and were up there with the worst teams in Europe’s top five leagues when it came to conceding shots. A 2-2 draw with Watford saw Emery’s side throw away a two-goal lead in an embarrassing manner, and fans were fed up.
By November, Arsenal were in the bottom half of the table, and had not won in seven games across all competitions when they faced Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
Emery was now under severe pressure, but after he survived an International break during this run, fans were getting impatient with the board to make a decision. Their hand was then forced, by one Frankfurt star.
How Daichi Kamada forced Arsenal into sacking Unai Emery
Emery’s last Premier League game in charge came against Southampton on November 23rd, 2019. This was just one week after the Arsenal board had given him a month to save his job, in the belief that a favourable run of fixtures could help get his side back on track.
Arsenal were 2-1 down until the 95th minute, in which Alexandre Lacazette equalised, but there were few celebrations from the players or fans. Everyone had seen enough, and the boos at full-time at the Emirates were damning.
The club continued to stand by Emery heading into the Frankfurt game on November 28th, but there were other things to worry about. Frankfurt fans were serving a UEFA ban, but amid fears that they would try to buy tickets in the home end, Arsenal restricted ticket sales to red members.
The Emirates was mostly empty, with less than 50,000 tickets sold, but potentially less than half that in the ground, and there were still pockets of Frankfurt fans in attendance.
Arsenal did take the lead through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but at the start of the second half, winger Daichi Kamada cut inside onto his left foot and fired a superb shot into the bottom corner.
He then added a second, finding the bottom corner after collecting a rebound from a set-piece with remarkable ease. Arsenal were beaten at home, and the few fans who remained by full-time were vocal in their anger.
A day later, Arsenal parted ways with Unai Emery, hiring Freddie Ljungberg as his interim assistant, before Arteta would then join a month later.
Daichi Kamada is set to join Crystal Palace
Kamada ended up becoming a top-quality attacking midfielder at Frankfurt, winning the Europa League and netting 40 goals in 179 games for the club.
He moved to Lazio last summer, but is now set to join Crystal Palace on a free transfer, and will link up with his former boss Oliver Glasner.
Arsenal fans have not forgotten what he did almost five years ago. Without his goals, Arsenal may have continued to delay the inevitable when it came to Emery, and they may have never found their saviour in Arteta.
“Kamada clinic was the final nail in the coffin for Emery. Hero,” one Arsenal fan pointed out in response to his impending move to Palace.
Kamada will likely play against Arsenal next season, but whilst he may not get a round of applause, his name is one still remembered as being part of the ending of the worst period in the club’s recent history.