Arsenal Transfer Window – What Could we have signed?

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“Come and have a look at what you could have won” was a catchphrase from 1980s game show Bullseye. Host Jim Bowen would utter them words to the losing contestants as his glamorous assists would wheel out the star prize, showing them what they could have won, rubbing it in that they were a failure, and were only going to leave with their “bus far home”.

As the media listed who other teams had bought in the summer transfer window, whether it was listed in papers, or on the side bar on Sky Sports News, I understood how those contestants felt upon failing to hit 101. It was as if Sky Sports News was showing Arsenal fans what they could have won.

Even during our bad old days of selling our stars, and not replacing them, there was always only a handful of other players who joined a Premier League club that I would have though “he could do a job at ours.” Going through the list of players this year has left a bitter taste in many, including my own, mouths. The list of players that we could have signed is long and deep.

Aston Villa

Philipe Senderos – OK, maybe not the best person to start with, but Aston Villa are the first club on the list, and Senderos the first player the signed. Available on a free from Fulham, could he not have done a job as 3rd/4th choice centre back. Senderos’ last game for Arsenal was in February 2008. Whilst he is not a World Class player, he has since played for the likes of AC Milan and Valencia, and comes with a wealth of experience (at 29, he has played in 3 World Cups). Add in he knows the club well, he surely could have been a good candidate for a back up centre back?

Chelsea

Diego Costa – When Chelsea signed Costa, I was sceptical. At that point, he had been a one season wonder (last season being the first that he had scored over 10 league goals). 4 goals in 3 games show what a shrew signing he is. At £35million, he may turn out to be the signing of the summer if he finishes league top scorer and with a Premier League medal. He is certainly one many will be thinking “we should have gone for him”.

Filipe Luis – If it was not for Abou Diaby & Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and his injury problems would be highlighted as a major problem. Since Gael Clichy left us in 2011, Gibbs has missed 45 games through injury. He has played just 71 out of a possible 116 games. That is not good enough. At £15.8m, Brazilian international Filipe Luis would have been an asset.

Cesc Fabregas – Ah, the debate that raged throughout the summer. Should we have signed Cesc? My (albeit biased) thoughts can be found here. I stand by the view, that in what they do, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez we have enough fire power. However, a with a failure to buy neither a top striker (sorry Danny) or a defensive midfielder, you have to wonder if letting Cesc join Chelsea was the right move. Could a central midfield of Cesc Ramsey Ozil have worked? On top of that, signing Cesc, even to rotate with Ozil and Sanchez, would have stopped Chelsea getting him.

Loic Remy – Loicy Remy: 41 Premier League games, 20 Premier League goals, £10.5m. Danny Welbeck: 118 Premier League games, 26 Premier League goals, £16m. Nuff said.

Crystal Palace

Brede Hangeland – In similar vein to Senderos, Hangeland is an experienced Premier League centre back who would have been available on a free. With very similar attributes to Per Mertesacker (tall, good reading of the game, little slow) he would have been a perfect understudy for the German, with Chambers then being the back up to Koscielny.

James McArthur – A £7m deadline day signing for Crystal Palace, the Scotsman is a terrier in the middle of the park. A player I have rated since he joined Wigan during their Premier League days, he would have provided squad depth in defensive midfield. He would have come in on low wages, so even if a better option comes available in the future, he would not have taken up too much of a cost. With Mikel Arteta out injured, he could have done a job for us.

Everton

Romelu Lukaku – The big Belgium has his faults, as highlighted at the World Cup, but he has scored 32 league goals in the last 2 seasons, and at 21, will only get better. In comparison, Olivier Giroud has 27 goals. Danny Welbeck (3 years older) has just 37 goals in his professional carrer, and Yaya Sanogo (5 months older) has never scored a Premier League goal. Anyone care to answer why Lukaku is not an Arsenal player?

Hull City

Mohamed Diame – Another deadline day deal. We were linked a few January’s back. At £3.5m, and Arteta injured, he could have added some good muscle in the middle of the park. Then again, Diaby is back in training (or is he?)

Liverpool

Alberto Moreno – In the same vein as Filipe Luis, with Kieran Gibbs’ injury record, 22 year old Spanish International could have been a long term option. He only cost the Scouser’s £12million. We possibly could have offset a lot of that by sending Nacho Monreal back to Spain. Left back is certainly a position that we need to address in the near future. We could have done this window.

Mario Balotelli – Mad Mario. At £16m, he was worth the risk.

Manchester City

Fernando – Yet another defensive midfielder we missed out on. At £12m, he represents a bargain. Athletic and full of energy. Yes, Manchester City have been chasing him for a year, it it would have been a hard sell to steal him away, especially as it is likely he agreed to join them in February, when he signed his new contract with Porto. Unlikely, but we could have had him.

Later: Manchester United, Newcastle, QPR, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Swansea, Spurs, WBA & West Ham.

Keenos

 

Welbeck and Internal Defensive Options…

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Welcome to the Arsenal Football Club Mr Danny Welbeck.

Welbeck’s signing hasn’t made me jump for joy nor am I excited like I how was with Sanchez or Ozil’s signings. That said, he is a better forward than Yaya Sanogo which is an improvement for Arsenal.

I like Sanogo. He tries and with a bit of luck he’ll score….but it will only odd few. Speaking from the head ‘trying’ won’t score you goals which is something Welbeck has already a proven record.

What do we know about Danny Welbeck?

He’s 23 (24 in December), 6ft.1 and born in Longsight, Manchester and developed through United youth system. He is another English player to our increasing ‘British Core’ joining Gibbs, Chambers, Ramsey, Wilshere, Walcott & Oxlade-Chamberlain so should have no problems fitting in.

Welbeck plays mainly as the leading striker but can play either side drifting in from the flanks. He’ll add more pace to the team which is something that we drastically lacked last year. This will give Ozil & co someone to run onto & pick up the through balls in the channels. Similar to Giroud, Welbeck will press and chase defenders keeping them on their toes.

The other thing that I like about Welbeck is that his departure from United has angered some of their fans, given he was ‘one of them’, as well as Welbeck rejecting any (loan) move to Spurs. Always a great start!

Between Sanchez and Welbeck I believe that they’ll cover the forward role depending on fixtures. I mainly see us leading with Welbeck and Sanchez outside of him.

So what of Giroud?

I think some fans annoyance is, not the lack of squad depth which I’ll come onto, that we were lead to believe strikers of the calibre like Cavani or Falcao would sign. Maybe that “top, top player” is Sanchez who is being slowly integrated to the rigors of the Premier League outwide before permanently moved centrally. Wenger has long history of using the wide positions as a test bed.

Whilst Welbeck is better than Sanogo I don’t see him as better than Giroud. In fact I don’t see Giroud any better than Welbeck either. I think both are two different players.

I think we have two very good “2nd Strikers” or back-ups that would lead most of the Premier league teams yet not in the top 5-6 sides. Who is better? Only time will tell.

Defensive Cover

The lack of defensive depth is what worries me and most other Gooners.

Last year didn’t score enough and we conceded too many.

Offensively we have strengthened with the signings of Sanchez & Welbeck and that’s without considering the injury to Giroud. We also have Walcott returning soon too and I sincerely hope he can stay injury free.

Defensively we have lost Thomas Vermealan & Bacary Sagna.

Debuchy is an impressive like-for-like replacement for Sagna. Chambers, who has been a very exciting signing and prospect, is a defensive midfielder turned right

back. Yet we have now turned him into a very capable 3rd choice central defender. This is where the problems start.

Chambers is being asked to cover 2 positions now that Jenkinson was sent on loan to West Ham.

Although Gibbs & Koscielny are both rumoured to be available for our next game against Manchester City as it stands currently they are both injured. Playing devil’s advocate, and this is very likely, our current defence would line up with Debuchy, Mertesacker, Chambers & Monreal.

Chambers won’t be able to cover Right back if Debuchy he gets if injured or sent off whilst he is playing in central defence. It’s rumoured that 4th choice centre back would be Monreal. Similar situation who covers left back if either Mertesacker or Chambers become injured during a game? Flamini?

With no disrespect to Monreal but he is no central defender and that thought alone worries me.

I hear that Hector Bellerin would be called up/promoted as necessary but that still leaves us with only 7 defenders. 5 of which are currently fit. This is all very ‘make shift and do’ from Arsene.

I understand that it’s difficult to sign someone that is both good enough be a top Premier league defender AND has to be 3rd or 4th choice behind Mertesacker & Koscienly. Yet there must be central defenders out there that are better than make-shift Monreal that would jump at the chance of joining Arsenal?

Whilst I’ve talked about depth I haven’t spoken about strengthening our defence. I still think we miss the defensive power and shield the likes Gilberto gave us. With the speed at which he could cover ground we wouldn’t be suspect to counter attacks. I like Arteta but its past time that we had a ready replacement. I’d love to see Chambers in a central midfield birth but he’s already doing too much as it currently stands.

We have learnt from past season that a lack of depth has cost us. That’s either as a result of bad luck injuries and no quality behind but also tiredness (over playing) injuries. Chambers has already played in every single game for Arsenal so far. That’s not a major feat except when you remember that he’s our back-up and still played every game!

By not getting the bodies in Arsene is in danger of overloading these players. Don’t be surprised to see a back 4 of Bellerin, Chambers Monreal & Flamini at some point this season.

Block 5 Gooner

Moving to the The Emirates – Are we any better off?

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highbury4

Since leaving Highbury in 2006 under the promise of becoming a European Super-club, it seems to me that the height of our expectations is to be also-rans.

Here we are 8 years after our move & what benefits have there been other than false hope?

* We’ve genuinely competed for the title 2 years at most, to come unstuck in the latter part of the season (08 & 14)

* 1x FA Cup win in May

* 1x semi final appearance in the CL

I’d suggest that’s not exactly the record of a ‘Super-Club’

According to reports, we’ve accumulated near on £100m in this period which could be made available for player transfers. Yes we’ve spent a fair bit this summer but are they along with the likes of Giroud, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Monreal, Cazorla etc not similar to what we would have bought at Highbury?

There’s not much monetary difference between those players & what we paid for the likes of Pires, Hleb & Overmars in relative terms

Yes I accept that Sanchez & Ozil are the exception to the rule but we also constantly spent what was considered big money at the time on Henry, Reyes & Wiltord for example.

I don’t want to get into the exact names of ‘who we should have bought this summer’ debate as we’ll all have different opinions. I’m also not criticising who we have brought in as there is no doubt that all of them will be an asset to our squad but they are all like for like position wise with what’s left the club.

According to the club website we now have 6 defenders to choose from for a 50+ game season. How long will it be until we hear ‘Mertesacker is jaded’ after he played right until the end of the World Cup?

Here lies the problem, there should have been more than the 5 we brought in. We have a lopsided squad, top heavy with creative midfielders. If you & I can identify the areas as weaknesses, why can’t the Hierarchy at our club? The excuse of no money or players not available just doesn’t wash anymore.

As it stands, the only benefit of our move to Emirates Stadium I can see is amassing a huge figure in the Bank. Of course that isn’t a benefit to the ordinary fan if it’s not being invested in the team or used to reduce ticket prices. Only the Shareholders will see benefits with their stock value increasing on a daily basis.

I’m not sure that’s what I signed up for when we moved from our beloved Highbury.

We’ve seen match tickets hit £100+ per game mark & cheapest season tickets now up to over £1000 per year & they’re only going one way. Thousand’s of loyal fans priced out for what exactly?

I hope The Arsenal win the quadruple this year (as I do every other year) but realistically at this stage we are looking at scraping 4th & hoping for another Cup win.

Should that be where we are after all the promises when we moved?

 

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