Arsenal Transfer Overview
49 comments July 26th, 2010
This summer has been strangely familiar. The season ended with a diminuendo, as the squad struggled under the strain of both injuries and expectation. Arsene was clear about the need for reinforcements:
“Going forward we have done very well but defensively we have been average. When you concede 40 goals you don’t win the title. I want to rectify that.
My transfer policy this summer will be to keep our strengths going forward, add one player, and add more defensive strength to our team.”
And business started well. Marouane Chamakh arrived on a Bosman, and protracted negotiations for Laurent Koscielny ended with the centre-half jetting in on the 7th July.
That was nearly three weeks ago now, and despite Arsene’s return from the World Cup and reunion with his blackberry, there hasn’t been a signing since.
This is no problem in attack, where we’re well stocked. Chamakh’s arrival offsets Eduardo’s departure – in fact, I’d suggest it strengthens us. In Eduardo we had a player still going through a process of rehabilitation. Chamakh is a player arriving at the peak of his career who will relish the opportunity of a move to his preferred league and club. He, Bendtner and Van Persie gives us plenty of depth in the middle, though all three could also put in a shift out wide. On the flanks, Arshavin, Nasri, Walcott, and Eboue provide variety, whilst the sale of Eduardo gives Carlos Vela another (possibly final) chance to make an impact.
Attacking midfield is another area where we’re strong. Most of the players listed above also fall in to that category, along with several others who prefer to penetrate from deep – Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky, the currently injured Aaron Ramsey. There was certainly interest in Joe Cole – Arsene can’t resist a bargain – but the deal fell down over the prospective length of Cole’s contract. Liverpool offered him a four year deal, twice what Arsenal were prepared to commit, and Cole headed North.
Cole’s decision opens the door for several young players: Henri Lansbury, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, and, most likely, Jack Wilshere. Tomas Rosicky made 33 appearances last season – this year, I expect him to share that tally with Wilshere. By the end of the campaign, Jack will hope to have leapfrogged the Czech in the queue for first-team places.
Of course, the biggest boost in this part of the pitch is the news that Cesc Fabregas is all but certain to stay. Fabregas will once again be the fulcrum for the side – goalscorer, captain, and creator in chief.
Defensive midfield will be marshalled by Alex Song, with Denilson ready to fill in when Song is absent. I’ve never been convinced by Denilson’s aptitude for a principally defensive role – he lacks the combative nature and positional awareness. Denilson is a pass-and-move player; a disrupter and distributor. I’d prefer Arsene to sign a tougher, more tactically astute model to provide Song with not only back-up but some serious competition. It’s not all about size – at the World Cup the 5’8″ Anthony Annan excelled at the base of Ghana’s midfield. It’s about being committed to becoming a specialist in the role. I’m not sure Denilson fits that bill.
All that said, I don’t see Arsene buying a holding midfielder. Denilson is a pet project of his – in 2007 he declared he would oversee the development of Cesc, Diaby and Denilson in to world class midfielders, and he won’t give up on that ambition, however much the evidence stacks up against the latter pair. Hopefully a youngster like Emmanuel Frimpong can develop in to a genuine rival for the Brazilian’s place in the squad.
You’ll realise I’ve approached the squad from the front – I saw it as getting the easy positions out of the way first. But I can’t avoid confronting the major problems any longer: we’ve arrived at the defence.
A glance at this section on the Arsenal.com squad page makes the problems all too clear:
Granted, you can throw in Emmanuel Eboue as an option at right back, but the cupboard still looks bare. Of the eight players listed, three are left-backs. Sol Campbell appears despite not being under contract with the club – as we speak he’s sunning himself on his honeymoon.
Our full-backs are fine, but the middle looks very light. No-one will shed a tear over Sylvestre’s departure, but I’m amazed that the loss of William Gallas has passed with so little comment. Currently on the books we have Vermaelen, new-boy Koscielny, and Johan Djourou. Of those, only Vermaelen is a reliable known quantity. Arsenal.com are trying to reassure us. Djourou is “ready to step up”, they tell us, failing to mention the likelihood of Djourou injuring himself in the process of stepping anywhere. Koscielny apparently “relishes the physical side of the game”, despite being thinner than Arsene himself and having tiny little arms like a dinosaur.
I don’t want to come down too hard on the new boy before I’ve seen him in competitive action, but the chances of him being immediately ready for the rigours of elite Premier League football seem slim. Nearly as slim as him. People compare his signing to that of Vermaelen, but Vermaelen was playing European football as captain of Ajax and a regular Belgium international. Koscielny is uncapped, and until twelve months ago had never played regularly in the top flight.
Djourou definitely has potential, but relying on a player who has missed a year with injury seems somewhat irresponsible of Arsene. We didn’t immediately throw Rosicky back in, and we sold Eduardo. Why should Djourou be exempt?
Sol Campbell may well elect to stay at the club. I hope he does. His leadership and desire set an example to others. But even though he will be part of the playing staff, I don’t feel his signing should make any impact on the shape of the squad. Yes, he’ll play the odd game, but I view Campbell as a figurehead and a leader – not necessarily from the pitch. He is not capable of playing two games in a week, let alone a prolonged spell across the season.
Havard Nordtveit is likely to be drafted in to provide cover at right-back and centre-half, but there’s still not a single player I deem worthy of partnering Vermaelen in a supposed title-challenging squad. Last season Vermaelen and Gallas formed a fairly effective partnership – most of our most notable collapses occurred when at least one of the pair was missing. To improve on last season, we need a player who can at least match Gallas for pace, positioning, power and good old-fashioned Premier League experience. Djourou, Koscielny, and Campbell all have disparate qualities which might help plug those gaps, but we need a player who can do all of those things, all of the time.
I’d like to name names, but frankly that isn’t my job. There are scouts that Arsenal employ specifically to meet that need, and they’ll do far better than me and my Football Manager search engine. The Daily Mail seems determined to draw a line between us and Everton’s Phil Jagielka – I have doubts about the validity of those rumours, but he’d certainly fit the bill.
My deep fear and suspicion is that signing Campbell will be enough for Arsene. Last summer we noted when Vermaelen arrived that he’d be unlikely to spend €10m on a centre-half and then not play him; Kolo Toure was promptly sold. The same applies to Koscielny, and I expect him to be given the chance to compete with Djourou for a starting place.
Finally, we come to goalkeeper. If there was one position where Arsenal seemed certain to strengthen this summer, it was here. Manuel Almunia’s topsy-turvy season saw him twice dropped from the team, and at the backend of the season he disappeared from the squad entirely. I am, I must admit, a little surprised he’s still here now.
In his absence, Lukasz Fabianski made the erratic Almunia’s goalmouth look like an ocean of calm. Rarely in my time watching Arsenal have I seen such a string of costly mistakes. The only thing reliable about the Pole was his guaranteed gaffe, usually from a corner or set-piece, though not exclusively – like all great clowns, Fabianski has variety to his routine – see mistakes against Porto for evidence.
Beyond that pair are Vito Mannone and Wojciech Szczesny. Mannone played a few games last season at the height of our keeper crisis, and received plaudits when Fulham conspired to kick the ball repeatedly against him when scoring seemed markedly easier. I don’t consider him a serious contender for the number one jersey. Ever.
Szczesny is a little different. His performances at Brentford brought plaudits and promises from Arsene that he’d one day wear the number one shirt. Perhaps he will. But at just 20, surely it’s too soon.
Worryingly, Arsene seems as certain that Fabianski will one day be number one. And unless a signing is made, that could be now. The elder Pole has started both pre-season friendlies, and indications from inside the club are that the manager is seriously toying with the idea of beginning the season with him in the number one jersey. Rather than something more appropriate, like a straightjacket.
We know that Arsene has made some moves to sign a keeper. His faith in Fabianski is & Co is so unwavering that he seemingly wishes only to bring in an experienced keeper to act as a stop-gap for the next year or two – hence his interest in Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer. Schwarzer might not be Peter Schmeichel, but he’s a hell of a lot better than what we’ve got. He’s communicative, athletic, and good for another two years at the top level. If Arsenal were able to find an agreement with Fulham, I’d be delighted. But more importantly, I’d be relieved.
More than any other position at the club, it is goalkeeper where a signing is imperative. A high profile arrival like Igor Akinfeev would be ideal. But I’d take a stop-gap like Schwarzer or David James, who is available on a free transfer. I’d take an experienced head who could give the position some stability and stop the role of Arsenal goalkeeper from becoming what I fear Fabianski could make it – a joke.
It’s absolutely clear what this squad needs: a top level goalkeeper, and a top level centre-back. Arsene cannot be blind to that either. My fear is that he’ll plump for a man who used to be a top class centre-back, and a guy who he believes could one day be a top-class keeper. In essence, a player who if not “over the hill” has certainly passed over its highest point, and a player who is not yet good enough, and may never be.
Jagielka and Schwarzer aren’t huge names, but believe me – they’d give us a better chance than our current options. Arsene has to learn the meaning of compromise – he may have to pay a little more than he’d like, he may have to go for the player second or third on his list, but he must, must strengthen in those positions. Keeping Cesc only to fail to provide him with a fitting defensive platform would be as great a crime as selling him.
This could well be Arsene’s last year. I’d hate for reticence in the transfer market to render it redundant.
