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Post Transfer Window Musings

I’m a regular reader (and commentor) of The World Of Arsenal, an excellent blog based on (of course) the team I follow. They share my passion, and usually my opinions and the blog is an excellent, well written and up to date center of Arsenal information. I started to comment on another excellent piece of writing, an Arsenal transfer summary article and realised that its more of an article in itself - edited below.

Arsenal have of course spent no money this season:

You have to wonder if there are serious issues with money. Despite the board’s continual statements that we have money, this year’s transfers have been a complete opposite. Let’s put the Nasri in and Hleb out deal to one side. Apart from that, we’ve reduced our wage bill by about £250k a week with the departures of Hleb, Lehmann, Gilberto, Senderos, Diarra, Flamini and Hoyte, made £3m from the Hoyte deal, £2m from Muamba’s move to Bolton, £7m from Bentley’s move to Sp*rs and also sent a few youngsters out on loan. The player’s we’ve got in are Coquelin for £250k, a 17 year old from Laval, Silvestre for £750k, a reject from United, Amuary Bischoff, an injured and free player from Stuttgart, and Aaron Ramsey for a cut down £4.8m. So we’re in profit for the second year in a row, yes, the second year in a row.

Factor in the massive income from the sell on fee generated by Mercenary Bentley, Arsenal are not just in profit - they’ve probably made more profit than any club in the league. Is it a money thing? The board say definately not.

The fact is Arsenal do have a large complement of midfielders - they’re just all 10 years old (or in Eboue’s case, shit). Diaby, Fabregas, Rosicky, Nasri, Denilson, Song, Coquelin, Wilshire, Eboue… and I’ve left one out.

The one player Arsenal fans keep on forgetting is Aaron Ramsey and as my previous comments underly, my conviction is that he may be the missing peg in the hole - its just too early for him I think. It makes me wonder, looking at some of the talent if Wengers biding his time for an assault on all fronts next year at the sacrifice of another empty season this year?

Diarra is a miss, but there’s no point keeping a player who wants to go, I’m sure Villa will come to see that with Barry.

Jack Wilshire is another lad in midfield that looks the real deal, especially in our pre-season European fixtures when he made Juventus established defensive veterans look like part-timers. Again though, does he have the strength of character to go and fight Bolton/Wigan in the grim north for a hard won 1-0?

It would be fine to have two attacking midfielders in the center, and Arsenal are beggining to asemble an awesome array of attacking midfielders at the expense of defensive minded middle men, if we had a defense that didn’t look shakey and didn’t look like it was about to self destruct with every long ball or floated cross.

To me, I wouldn’t have minded missing out on a defensive midfielder this time around if we’d have bought a big talent in central defense. Someone to shore up the leaky back - that way you keep a sensible defence and clean sheets without sacrficing the forward momentum of an attacking midfield.

To buy neither a defensive midfielder or recognised center back (sorry Gallas but you just look flakey at the moment, and I’m not sure Toure and you share any langauge in common) though appears to be somewhat optimistic and perhaps a little negligent.

I am hoping today with crossed fingers that Arsenal are going to prove everybody wrong again, just like they have done in every recent season, with a strong start and some vintage performances. But that’s exactly the point. Its hope today and not belief like this time last year.

Come on you Gunners.

Filed by Kieran at September 2nd, 2008 under Football