Thierry Henry's four-point plan to improve Arsenal - and Mikel Arteta's response

Few Premier League manager's need a reminder of how quickly perceptions can change in football less than Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard was seemingly on the cusp of losing his job as Arsenal boss this time 12 months ago having overseen home defeats to the likes of Wolves and Burnley - breaking just about every unwanted record in the process.

What a difference a summer can make, the old adage money can't buy happiness clearly does not factor in what forking out £140m on a new-look side can do.

Arteta oversaw Arsenal's biggest ever transfer outlay last summer, as the Gunners spent big on six new additions including £50m on Ben White, £30m on Martin Odegaard and £24m on Aaron Ramsdale.

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Both Mikel Arteta and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been crucial to Arsenal's recent run of fine form

After a disastrous start in which the Gunners lost their three opening games without scoring a single goal, Arsenal have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.

Arteta's men are currently unbeaten in their last nine outings, winning six and rising from rock bottom up to sixth - level on points with 'title challengers' Man Utd.

All three of the aforementioned signings received backlash from certain sections of the Gunners fanbase - many questioning whether the kind of figures being spent were justified.

Some voices of discontent went one further and speculated whether Arteta was the right man to be entrusted with such finances.

Signing players from the likes of Brighton and Sheffield United inevitably leads to question marks over whether they are good enough to raise the level at the Emirates.

However, the uncomfortable truth is that the level at the Emirates has been closer to that over at the Amex than it has the Etihad in recent years.

Six years ago, speaking after Arsenal conceded ground in the title race with a 0-0 home draw against Chelsea - a sign that the club were on the decline - Gunners legend Thierry Henry caused quite the stir when analysing his former side.

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He said: "I think they need to buy four players - they need that spine. They need a goalkeeper, they still need a centre back, they still need a holding midfielder and, I'm afraid, they need a top, top quality striker to win this league again."

It would be disingenuous to expect Arteta to secure Arsenal's fourth Premier League crown any time soon, but he has, inadvertently, appeared to follow Henry's blueprint.

At the time the comments were made, then-manager Arsene Wenger took umbrage with Henry's suggestion and effectively accused him of going too far, while his predecessor Unai Emery seemingly had no coherent plan.

It is a damning indictment of Arsenal's demise that six years have passed since Henry's comments and only now is the issue on its way to being rectified.

Thierry Henry named four positions he felt Arsenal needed to strengthen in - they seem to have finally listened ( Image:

CBS Sport)

Arsenal are a club whose history and success is rooted just as much in defensive grit as it is free-flowing flair.

David Seaman, Sol Campbell, Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira - all players synonymous with the kind of resilience that has been absent from Arsenal sides in recent years.

Goalkeeper Ramsdale's upbeat and light-hearted response to the Leicester City's fans taunts last Saturday provided the perfect insight into his temperament, little phases the 23-year-old shot-stopper.

Centre-back White's trademark marauding runs from the heart of Arsenal's backline have offered up an entirely new dynamic to the Gunners build-up play.

Defensive midfielder Thomas Partey's five years under genius Diego Simeone speaks for itself, though the Ghanaian's first year in north London has been littered with injuries.

The 28-year-old has endured a period of sustained fitness in recent weeks and has shown exactly why Arsenal paid £45m for his services last summer, a crucial cog in Arteta's Arsenal system.

Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale have been in stellar form for Arsenal since arriving in the summer

White was the oldest of Arsenal's summer signings this year at just 23- hardly a seasoned veteran, the defender boasts just one full season of Premier League football.

Where other manager's have opted for the 'win now-strategise later' approach, Arteta has recruited players that will likely outstay his own tenure at the club - with both eyes firmly on the long-term at the Emirates.

In many ways it is fitting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would be Wenger's final signing at the club - a rapid, lethal marksman with the number 14 on his back, a familiar sight for Gunners fans everywhere.

Three years after his complaints - Henry finally got his wish of a top-quality striker, Aubameyang just eight goals shy of entering the 100 club for Arsenal.

Henry would have to wait a further three years to see his ideal Arsenal come to fruition, with Partey, White and Ramsdale arriving.

And while there is some way to go before the words 'title tilt' are once again associated with Arsenal - a core to the Gunners is beginning to show.