The
off-season has become synonymous with transfer sagas involving Arsenal and this
summer has held true to form. But it has been rumoured arrivals rather than
impending departures that mark a morphing of the market mantra at Emirates
Stadium.
In June,
chief executive Ivan Gazidis spoke of “doing things that would excite” the
fanbase and being able to afford Wayne Rooney “and more”. And the chase for one
of last season’s stand-out Premier League performers, Luis Suarez, is indeed a
far cry from the bargain-hunting that manager Arsene Wenger has become
accustomed to in the years of austerity following the move to a new home in
2006.
Yet, with
under a week until the new season begins, Arsenal have yet to augment their
squad, bar the free signing of 20-year-old French striker, Yaya Sanogo, from
Auxerre. With the squad streamlined by several departures from the fringes of
the first-team roster and the club some £10 million in the black as regards player
transfers this summer, the fans are beginning to see red.
Stevan
Jovetic, Gonzalo Higuain, Marouane Fellaini and Suarez are amongst the biggest
names linked with the club but, despite Gazidis’ bullish remarks, Arsenal’s
powder remains dry. The transfer window has three weeks to run, so business may
be bubbling behind the scenes but any new additions before the curtain-raiser
against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon will have little time to acclimatise
to new surroundings and team-mates.
One name to
have emerged as a genuine potential buy before the weekend is Bayern Munich’s
defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo. The 26-year-old Brazilian starred alongside
Tottenham’s new capture Paulinho at this summer’s Confederations Cup, where he more
than looked the part playing a disciplined role in front of the back four,
barely crossing the half-way line and seamlessly dropping into the central
defensive positions when David Luiz or Thiago Silva carried the ball out from
the back. The tenacious left-footer is also versatile enough to play left-back
and would add some much needed depth to the squad. With Thomas Vermaelen and
Nacho Monreal – both left-sided defenders - side-lined through injury, Gustavo
would provide a sensible solution.
Arsenal’s
pre-season tour of the Far East will have swelled the club’s coffers further
and also showcased the talents of some exciting young players knocking on
Wenger’s first-team door. Seventeen-year-old striker Chuba Akpom and midfielder
Gedion Zelalem, 16, were particularly impressive, with the latter likened by
many to a young Cesc Fabregas.
Saturday
saw Arsenal complete their pre-season preparations with a convincing 3-1 win
over Manchester City in Helsinki with Bacary Sagna, Aaron Ramsey and Theo
Walcott catching the eye. But it was the team’s collective performance which
augurs well for the coming months.
Per
Metesacker and Laurent Koscielny appear to provide the perfect combination of
height, pace, reading and recovery required in that area of the pitch and, in
midfield, Jack Wilshere is nearing full fitness and form. Up front,
Olivier Giroud has enjoyed a prolific pre-season and capped it off with a well
taken goal against City to put the Gunners three up, while Alex-Oxlade
Chamberlain started the City game wide left and looked sharp and was direct
throughout. The former Southampton man will hope to nail down a regular
starting berth this season after a somewhat disappointing second campaign at
the club.
At present,
Arsenal look good bets for another fight for fourth place. But if the club were
to finally ‘spend some f***ing money’ - as the restless hordes have implored
them to do for some time now - on a few proven high-end performers, such as
Suarez, you might even wager on Wenger and his troops mounting a sustained
title challenge.
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