WHY ARSENAL HAVE MADE A GENIUS SIGNING IN BRAINY HENRIKH MKHITARYAN

The Gunners are getting an intelligent player with brains on and off the
pitch who is set to combine with ex-team mate Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang
In the same week that George Weah was named President of Liberia,
another player adored in his home country and admired by Arsene Wenger
swapped the red of Manchester United for Arsenal.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is finally an Arsenal player and some might say it’s a
move which should have happened a long time ago. Gunners boss Arsene
Wenger is a long-time admirer of the former Borussia Dortmund star, and
not just because of his supreme technical ability on the pitch which saw
him score 23 goals and record 32 assists in his final season at the
Westfalenstadion.
Mkhitaryan’s intellectual ability is one aspect which Wenger actively looks
for when signing a player. The 29-year-old has got a diploma from the
Institute of Physical Culture in Armenia and studied economics at the St
Petersburg Institute – the latter is something he has in common with
Wenger who also possesses an economic degree. Armenia’s captain, who
turned 29 on Sunday, also speaks English, German, French, Russian,
Armenian, Portuguese and Italian.

Per Mertesacker, Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny are all regarded as three
of the most intelligent players at the club and it’s testament to
Mertesacker in particular that Wenger wanted to keep him around so much
he offered him a head of academy role which the German will take up this
summer. While Arsenal lose an excellent attacking player in Alexis Sanchez
to Manchester United, they gain a creative, intelligent and expressive
forward in the form of Mkhitaryan.
Although there is the obvious gap, it is easy to draw parallels to
the human aspect of Mkhitaryan and Weah. The Armenian midfielder lost
his father Hamlet to a brain tumour at the age of 33 when Henrikh was
just 7 years old and he cites that moment in his life as the motivation
behind becoming a professional footballer.
“He was my drive, he was my motivation, because when I was young he
was playing football professionally and I was always dreaming about going
with him to the training ground,” said Mkhitaryan.
“Because of him, when we came back to Armenia [as a family], it was my
dream to continue his work and to also be a football player. It [his death]
was a pity but that is life and life continues. I just hope he is proud looking
down at me from the sky because I try to do everything to make him
proud.”

Mkhitaryan spent much of his young life in France after violence in Armenia

forced the family to flee abroad. His dad was at French second division
side Valence, a team founded by Armenians, and Henrikh begged him to
come to training. Mkhitaryan’s journey around the world saw him undergo
trials with Sao Paulo at the age of 14, where he played alongside the likes
of Hernanes and Oscar.
"My favourite team is Arsenal," Mkhtiaryan said, while playing for home-
town side Pyunik over a decade ago. "I like their attacking play and fast
style. Moreover, Arsene Wenger puts faith in young players while
demanding results at the same time. I like that and want to play there one
day."

Able to play in the Europa League for Arsenal and set to form a familiar
partnership with his former Dortmund team-mate Pierre Emerick
Aubameyang in the coming days, everything looks set to click into place for
Mkhitaryian – the self confessed Arsenal fan who has finally got the move
he wanted.