For months now, Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, and his board have been saying how the Frenchman will be given a massive transfer kitty to improve the squad for a title push next season. Now that the transfer window is open, the first player the Gunners have signed is France Under 20, Yaya Sanogo – on a free transfer.
Oddity
This strikes me as a bit odd for a number of reasons. The first of which is why this war chest hasn’t been tapped into to sign a massive name striker? With the rumoured kitty to be in excess of £70million, there are a number of strikers the Emirates club could have bid for – Oscar Cardozo of Benfica at a snippet of a price at £15million or there abouts for starters. Even their London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur have completed a £17million move for a striker already, and that’s before any sale of Gareth Bale.
The second reason is the age of Sanogo. The former Auxerre man is just 20 years old, which goes completely against what the fans have been calling for. The fans, and Wenger himself, are known to be looking for experience rather than youth in the squad for next season, and a 20 year old just doesn’t provide that.
Another reason is that Arsenal didn’t even struggle for goals last season, so why the iconic club have signed another attacking player has confused me. The North London club scored 72 goals in the Premier League last season, third highest in the division behind Manchester United and Chelsea. It just seems that the transfer policy adapted by one of England’s biggest clubs is a bit bizarre.
The final reason that immediately comes into my mind is that there are weaknesses present elsewhere in the side, and surely they should be tended to first? What has happened with the transfer of Sanogo to Arsenal is like someone whose cars brakes need replacing, but instead they’ve fitted a more powerful engine. There have been well documented instances over the last season or two of the frailties in the Arsenal back line, and yet all the transfer talk circulating the club is about strikers.
Another idea
If the idea hasn’t been made clear enough so far in this piece, let me give you a better understanding. What has taken place with this transfer really has dumbfounded me and will have likely done the same to a lot of Arsenal supporters.
As I previously mentioned, there has been a lot of speculation over the defence of Wenger’s side; with many fans and pundits alike criticizing it’s lack of communication, organisation and quite simply lack of awareness on the football park. I am by no means saying that I could do better, if that were the case I’d be playing football rather than just writing about it, but the fact remains that some of these players make in a week what I can only aspire to make in a year, and their, at some times, stupidity is laughable.
The other intriguing, instance involves this apparent war chest. There is so much speculation over the future of Wayne Rooney. He is a proven goal scorer in the Premiership, combined with the amount of experience he has at the highest level, for a fee in the region of £25million, why didn’t the club make a move for his services? There is so much stories flying around about the former Everton striker, a simple enquiry wouldn’t have hurt their chances. He is just one striker who could have been tempted by a switch to London. There are a number of strikers around Europe which would have provided the experience required for the Gunner’s side.
Woo-f
Yet again, we are looking at what we have become used to with Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. All bark and no bite. For months they have been linked with a number of massive names, and there is yet to be concrete evidence to suggest that there will be a serious amount of money spent. Their nearest rivals for fourth place this season have already blown a serious amount of cash on one player, and should they sell their prized Welshman, they will likely spend even more.
So Arsenal fans, beware. The defence is still questionable at the best of times, and with more investment in young players, I can’t see how Wenger hopes to build an established experienced side when he looks to young players to provide the class needed to win the Premier League. Then again, what do I know, I’ve not managed one of the biggest football clubs in England for the best part of 17 years. I have won a trophy through football in the last 8 years though.
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