Strange old day at the ranch yesterday, with Wenger choosing to saunter off to Rome to ref the Pope’s Peace Match while the dildo and blow-up doll madness unfurled back in blighty. The score was 6-3, which made me laugh a bit. At least it wasn’t 6-0.
And would you know it, as Wenger fiddled with his whistle [enough of that – Ed] Danny Welbeck signed for the Arsenal. As the chaps said on the Arsecast Extra, there was a curious reaction to the whole thing from many Arsenal fans. Residual doubts about his goal-scoring prowess is probably one reason why, but I do think that the frustration of an inactive second half of the transfer window played a part too.
Now that the calm of day (and subsequently night – that’s how I roll on the blogging front) has arrived, the mood’s more positive. I think he’s a decent signing. He’s a hard-working player at a good age, with something to prove. It’s got Arsene Wenger stamped all over it if you think about it. And of course, we need another striker, and he’s a striker. On top of that he cost £16m, which is a bog-standard rate for an English player. New TV deals has made £16m an average fee, so we’ve hardly gambled our life on it.
A few years back – roughly the time when Ashley Cole nearly swerved off the road – I’d have worried a bit about a young Manchester lad coming to Arsenal. We didn’t have a lot of British players back then. But now there are plenty of lads he’ll know from the England setup and I’m sure he’ll slot in just fine.
We’re short at the back of course, more so having sold Iggy Miquel. The result is that while it’s been a good window – one with a frame, and nice glass – it’s got no security locks. I can’t remember who it was, it might have been Alan Smith, or it just as easily could have been everyone on the internet, but it feels like we’ve once again gone into autumn with the sense of the squad being a frustrating man or two short of being spot on.
It might be fine. We might make it through the next 120 days without a calamitous injury pile-up in the rear echelons of the squad. That’s the gamble Wenger’s taken – unless he thinks Bellerin and Hayden are ready to be those back-ups right now. If so, it’s bold, if a little risky. (Others might say it’s a dereliction of duty).
Plenty to be excited about overall. Given we’ve not clicked at all, we’ve got five points from nine and have qualified for the Champions League. Get the balance right (ideally by the time City come to town – no pressure Arsene) and things could get quite tasty.
Spot for me. Actually an excellent window with Sanchez, Welbeck, Ospina and Chambers. But let down by the wafer thin group of defensive players.
I don’t understand the hysteria, the panic, the hyperbole concerning Arsenal’s transfer business. Ok so what if AFC was only “half interested” in Falcao. He is frankly not worth that amount of money – £6 million loan fee and £300,000+ per week in wages? That is ridiculous! Is he worth 2 and a half times Ozil or Sanchez – NO!!
I don’t hear anybody questioning Chelsea with their back line – 6 first team defenders for 4 positions. They are: Terry, Cahill, Ivanovic, Zouma, Azpilicueta and Luis. Ivanovic doubles as center back and right back, and Azpilicueta doubles as right back and left back. I don’t hear their transfer window being branded a failure.
And what is wrong with promoting Isaac Hayden and Hector Bellerin, if necessary. We pay lip service to youth development but when we have to actually play them we behave like cowards. If the coach thinks they have the quality to play then so be it, even if they didn’t cost £20 million pounds. And the same goes for playing Coquelin in midfield. He deserves his chance. Every time I’ve seen him play (albeit on TV) I center midefield he’s played well – mobile, confident on the ball, strong in the tackle and good with his ball distribution? His time on loan at Freiburg last season was a disaster because they insisted on playing him as a left winger! Yet he still made 20 odd appearances and I never heard of him complaining in the media or twitter or Instagram or whatever is the rage nowadays. That says a lot about his character as a team player.
Personally, I think AFC had a excellent transfer window. The team may not be perfect but it is a damn sight stronger than last season. So I can,t wait for the real football to start again!
And by the way do we know where “King” Louis van Gaal was when MUFC was trying to push a £20+ million one-year loan deal for the much-craved, season-defining Falcao? Yes we do – he was in Amsterdam attending an awards ceremony (with Danny Blind also in attendance, it is reported). So what is the big deal if, on a day off from training, Mr. Wenger participates in a charity event in keeping with the lofty principles of AFC? Are we so naive to believe that a transfer cannot be concluded if Arsene is not doing a 24 hr vigil by the fax machine? Does he do the negotiations? The medicals? Actually he doesn’t. Nor does Mr. Van Gaal. If he needs to make a phone call to talk to a player he can do that even if he were in Timbuktu!
I get sick of reading these false, negative, and frankly irrelevant narratives in the british press. Frankly, a lot of what passes for “sports journalism” on the internet is simply s**t.
I wasn’t criticising Wenger for being away, just observing. The fact he was reffing an interfaith peace match just added some flavour to a strange day. As you say it disproves the myth that he can’t delegate.
Point being, it’s a gamble. Chambers is inexperienced. Hayden and Bellerin even more so. I think a stop-gap central defender with experience would have made a lot sense. Wenger himself said he’d sign a replacement for Vermaelen if he went. Chambers is covering right and left back, now. Leaves us a bit bare when we didn’t need to be.
Coquelin – he’s been on the margins so long and you have to wonder why.
Sorry I mean Chambers is covering centre half and right back. It’s early 🙂
The Welbeck signing has got Arsene all over it in another way : it’s a signing that wouldn’t have happened without a pre-deadline closng injury..
It won’t be fine. We’ve got only 2 centrehalves & only one defensive midfielder who won’t play anyway given the manager has rewarded Arteta for 2 years of failing miserably at a job he was never able to do by being made captain. (an utter embarrassment for an allegedly big club)
Should have gone on that FA Cup high Arsene.