Well, it was quite a deadline day, wasn't it?
I think the activities that went on regarding other clubs - United's shameful flouting of almost all transfer rules and conventions to steal Berbatov, Abu Dhabi suddenly owning Citeh, and turning them into a major player in one fowl swoop - need to be discussed elsewhere, and in depth.
For now, let's concentrate on our own dealings or, more pertinently, the lack of them.
It's worrying. You'd have to be an optimist of the highest order to think our squad didn't need any additions, or that we didn't attempt to sign anyone last week.
It was rumoured that we put a last minute bid in for Alonso, but Liverpool were always holding all the cards in that deal, and probably asked for a fee nearer £18m, which would have been far too much.
Other than that, it was deathly quiet. Maybe a few of our targets will be more readily available in January, but who knows.
As it is, we have no adequate partner for Cesc. Diaby is perma-injured and unproven, Denilson looks OK without ever really impressing, and Eboue and Song have a hell of a lot to prove if they're going to convince Arsenal fans that they're good enought to take on the holding role full-time.
Whilst it could have been construed as some form of sick joke, the fact that Eboue and Denilson's smiling mugs appeared on Arsenal.com they day after the deadline shut probably indicates how important they're going to be to the team this season, or, at least, til January.
I think, therefore, that Arsene has left us short, a situation that may have been exacerbated by the lack of a CFO and CEO at the club, still. Arsene is doing too much, and needs help with transfers - if just to kick him out of the comfort zone. That much, I think, is clear.
Anyway, we shouldn't slip too far into doom-mode. We have a team full of potential, and, let's not forget, none of us would have predicted Flamini becoming the player he became last year, so maybe someone inside the squad will step-up.
We have 3 tricky away matches coming up after what will be an interminably long international break, so let's wait for them before we jump to too many conclusions about the squad.
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6 comments:
Im sick to death of this notion that Arsene is in a 'comfort zone' that he is lording it over the Emirates.
If you know/read anything on Wenger you will know that he does more for a football club than any other single person involved in football. The number of roles he has at Arsenal are astounding. Whether that is a good thing is moot, Arsene is NOT coasting nor will he ever coast.
Personally I think the squad needed strengthening but the fact that it wasnt done was not due to Wenger's negligence...he has been on the lookout for 3 months but decided at the prices that players are these days, he was better off promoting Diaby (a la Flamini).
good point about flamini coming out of nowhere last season... perhaps denilson can do the same (altho first impressions suggest he is much less the all action hero flamini was).
Arsene is a hero, dont get me wrong, but the academic/deliberating economist is quickly becoming outdated in favour of someone with 'deep, deep pockets, deeper than abramovich'. Give me Arsene any day but without Mr Uzbek what can one do? there are only a finite amount of good players out there, for most, money talks. it is very sad what is happening to British football at the moment, and its putting great footballing men, like Arsene, in a tangle.
when liverpool sell out to DIC and Mr Uzbek takes over the gooners the word 'Club' should be taken out of the instutions' title. a club suggests a two way relationship (eg Barcelona), this will no longer be the case in the near future. how can you have a relationship with something whose peoples are ever more distanced from those who contribute to their wages every week, and whose owners have dream of the 'club' playing home games in the middle east?
football is changing and money, im afraid, is changing it at a frightening pace for the worse. David Pleat has a point.
What I find interesting is why nobody has considered Rosicky? He plays central for Czech (as he did at the World Cup), he has a ferocious shot, is a great passer and dribbler, and surely has little hope of playing ahead of Nasri.
Quite frankly, I'm surprised the supporters don't give Wenger more credit. Do you really think he didn't sign anybody because he was lazy or smug? Seriously, some armchair supporters think too much of their own opinion.
I agree wholeheartedly with 'Anonymous' that the idea that Wenger has become complacent or is only interested in enriching himself is absolutely absurd. The guy clearly lives and breathes Arsenal and wants nothing more than to bring success on the pitch. The fact that he bravely and openly stands up for other principles - in particular the importance of financial responsibility and the need for football teams to try to entertain the fans - shouldn't be allowed to obscure that fact.
I also agree with erichero that Rosicky has a role to play in the centre. He and Nasri are both capable of creating AND getting stuck in and neither are traditional wingers. With Theo, Eboue, Vela and even RVP and Eduardo available to cover the wings, no reason that they couldn't be moved into the centre when needed.
If you built a team on youth development and told them they would get a chance to prove themselves and then took it away by buying 'better' players (Arsene has said he will only buy players who are better than who is already there or as replacements if necessary) then it would undermine the confidence of a large amount of the team if such a player were to be brought in. And this team thrives on confidence - dent it (as we saw at the end of last season) and all the wheels come off at once, build it, and they are awesome. So i think Arsene had no choice as genuine, available world class players (think DB10)are rare. That said, bringing in experienced cover on loan for a season would seem to have been option,
Personally i think we're going to miss Flam alot more than we thought when he went. Obviously we couldn't replace him in this window
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