Four days ago, Arsene Wenger said that following Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Fernebahce that Arsenal’s transfer window had begun. As you may or may not know, the transfer window actually opens on the 1st of July and clubs have the whole of June to tie up negotiations before unveiling the players in July.
During the period where the transfer window had begun for everyone else but Arsenal, the club was linked with more players than you could shake a stick at (I’ve found that six is the maximum before it gets a bit excessive). In fact, they did make a signing; the world-renowned French striker Yaya Sanogo. Whilst the gunners may face action from the FA for dealing outside of their own transfer window, it seems that they may get away with it as everyone was so distracted with Tottenham spending money like it’s going out of fashion.
Now that the transfer window is “finally” open, who do Arsenal really need?
Well, Higuain, Jovetic, Fabregas, Negredo, Suarez and many others are now out of the question, it does narrow things down a bit (only a bit though, as there are many people who play this game. If Arsenal feel the need to delve into the American Samoan second division any time soon, Wenger might just be able to sign a youngster from there, provided Napoli don’t come along).
Before I have a look at who’s needed, I should point out that I believe (said in a French accent) that the current First XI is a lot stronger than people give Arsene Wenger credit for. Podolski and Giroud have the potential to score a serious number of goals in the next few years and at the other end of the pitch the Mertesacker-Koscielny partnership is incredibly effective. On Saturday, the midfield trio of Rosicky, Ramsey and Cazorla played Fulham off the park (I feel that that trio would give many other midfields a run for their money), and that was without Wilshere and Arteta. And yesterday’s defeat of Fenerbahce at home featured very strong play from Cazorla and Ramsey, again. Certainly there is quality.
However, even though the First XI is strong, the team will get nowhere without a squad. How many times in previous years have Arsenal had a strong First XI but failed to win anything because of a lack of depth? 2007-08, 2009-10 and 2010-11 all come to mind. Obviously a few more signings are needed than just him, but I like the idea of Flamini re-joining. I was very disappointed when he left, and although he’s struggled in recent years, his quality has always been evident. Furthermore, he’s very versatile which is always a useful quality to have as a fringe player.
Whatever happens, Podolski can’t be affected (by the way, I sincerely hope he’s back before the suggested 6 weeks worth of recovery from a knock in the Fen match). If you can show me an Arsenal fan whose face doesn’t brighten up at the sight of him, you are are outright liar. I know that being someone who brightens up your day isn’t an important quality revered in footballing circles, but there’s no denying Podolski is a wonderful player. I can’t remember another player who when the ball falls to him you can just celebrate the goal before it’s even scored. Furthermore, he and Mertesacker are both huge influences on the youth players; they both stay behind for long periods of time after training to do extra work. But as I say, you need a squad and not just a First XI, so I would welcome a new winger (and playmaker) with open arms (di Maria and Ozil anyone)?
There is no question that Arsenal need another striker. I rate Giroud and I think it would be a shame if he were disrupted by it, but we have to look at things objectively and if Arsenal are going to win anything at least one twenty-five-goals-a-season striker is needed. I’ve always loved the idea of Karim Benzema playing for Arsenal, as having watched him play a lot I feel he would suit Arsenal’s style.
Another player whom I really rate is Wojciech Szczesny. However, his weaknesses have been highlighted in recent times, and I feel that another top class goalkeeper would give Szczesny a bit of a kick up the backside which would spur him on to succeed. I feel that Julio Cesar is a bit old, but if a new goalkeeper were to come along I wouldn’t necessarily want him to be around for too long as it would prevent Szczesny from being allowed to flourish. Furthermore, with a price tag of just £2 Million Cesar is an absolute bargain, and there is nothing Wenger loves more than that.
One role which I haven’t touched upon is centre half. Whilst Koscielny and Mertesacker have both proven to be excellent defenders, if one of them gets injured or suspended (as happened with Koscielny) we will be reduced to playing Sagna there again. Even if Vermaelen were fit, that wouldn’t be enough. I’ve always believed that a team needs five centre-backs. Even if Djourou was the fifth, that would’ve more than sufficed. I remember in 2010-11 when Arsenal only had four centre halves and that wasn’t enough once injuries hit. I like the idea of having either Djourou or Miquel as the fifth, with someone like Ashley Williams as the fourth (or third, as he would be until Vermaelen gets back from this long injury), as he’s very cheap (approximately £10 Million).
In conclusion, whilst a few expensive world class signings would certainly be fantastic, a number of £10 Million signings is the priority for the time being. Quantity over quality will help build a squad of players who can grind out results, and then the quality can be added which will bring this team the success it had at Highbury.
Thanks for Reading, you can follow me on twitter – @notsohuge_o as well as our other massive Gooners – @RoryHarbaugh, @R1chierichguner, @JimPow77and @TonyNYGooner. Give the site a follow while you’re at it – @LastWordOnSports.
Feel free to discuss this and other footy related articles with thousands of fans at r/football or with our new IRC football Chat.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? Find more info at our “Join Our Team” page.
Main photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald via photopin cc
