It has been said summer after summer that Arsene Wenger needs to make better user of his resources in the summer transfer window. Had £42 million midfielder Mesut Özil not arrived on the final day last summer Wenger would have most likely come under even harsher criticism with loanee reserve Italian goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano and the free transfer return of Mathieu Flamini being the only other two additions that Wenger made to the Arsenal outfit. Now a season later we see an Arsenal side that has lifted a trophy after a 9 year wait but has still come under criticism for their lack of squad depth and composure when it comes to the most significant points in the season, with a 6-0 loss to Chelsea and 5-1 loss to Liverpool being the key low points of their year. To prevent such embarrassments occurring again it is important for Wenger to sign a right back, a holding midfielder and a striker at the very least, with all other signings made adding to the squad depth that Man City have proven is needed to win the league.
Arsenal Transfer Talk
Right backs
It has been widely reported recently that Toulouse full-back Serge Aurier has all but joined the North London outfit with Liverpool emerging late in the race for the Ivorian. He would be a good fit for the Arsenal side, with him playing the traditional role that full-backs have played over the years, but a lack of experience in the Premier League may make Wenger hesitant to sign Aurier and I would personally look no further than what we have already in the Premier League. It has come as a shock to many that there has been a distinct lack of interest shown in Everton full-back Seamus Coleman. Apart from Zabaleta, who had an outstanding season for the champions, the Irishman stood out more than any players that share his position across the other 18 clubs. The departure of Bacary Sagna has left a rather significant hole in the Arsenal defence and with Carl Jenkinson perhaps not being quite ready for the role with such a lack of experience, Coleman would slide in perfectly to the role. He attacks with an enthusiasm and pace that has been shown by Sagna in previous years and it has worked well, he’s also not afraid to have a shot at goal. Also, his ability to track back makes him a full-back that is up there with the best of them. The slight problem that is clear would be the reluctance of Martinez and Bill Kenwright to sell, especially to a team that they wish to replace in the top four. Every man has his price though and with the funds that the board have made available to Wenger, if the price is right, I’d go for him.
Midfielders
Over the years criticism of Wenger’s young talent ethos in the midfield has died down. The rise of Aaron Ramsey in this past season and Jack Wilshere over the last few years has shown that Wenger was right to persist with the use of the duo. Signings such as Özil and Cazorla have added a world class element to the Arsenal side that has been missing in recent years. In Arsenal’s 5 man midfield, there is more than enough depth in the front-three, with Özil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Cazorla, Ramsey, Wilshere and Podolski all able to be deployed in these positions, but the defensive pairing could be considered a weak section of the team.
Flamini has added an aggression to this Arsenal team that was certainly appreciated, but with Wenger having Arteta as his clear preference, he hasn’t been used as much as many Arsenal fans may have liked. For a large portion of Arsenal fans it’s important that Arsenal sign a defensive midfielder that has a proven track record of acting as a support to the defence, but also the creative spark that the team have missed from a holding midfielder since the departure of Alex Song.
The most spoken about creative midfielder already this summer was ex-Arsenal favourite and captain, Cesc Fabregas. I for one believe and trust the judgement of Wenger in his belief that it was a lot of money for a player that isn’t a necessity and so Fabregas has gone to Chelsea. Alternatively, reopening our interest in Wolfsburg’s Luis Gustavo or Bayern Munich’s Javi Martinez are both viable options, having both performed at the highest level. Strikers aside, the depth in our holding midfield options is fairly low, especially with the likes of Jack Wilshere proving to be prone to injury.
Strikers
The departure of Robin van Persie saw the arrival of Olivier Giroud as a replacement. The term ‘replacement’ must be used loosely when referring to Giroud in regard to van Persie considering that they are worlds apart in terms of quality. Having watched Arsenal in the last season, it seems that Giroud needs a striking partner, which isn’t something that Arsene Wenger has used in recent years. We have learnt that Wenger doesn’t set out a formation to play a specific team but a formation that he thinks will perform consistently throughout the season. With this in mind, I don’t think Wenger would look to change his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation for the sake of complimenting Giroud’s game. In this sense I would sign a world class striker that can play as a lone striker and isn’t afraid to take on defenders.
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