Arsenal Update

Sorry to my readers who don't give a damn about Arsenal, but there are only 2 or 3 of you I think and this is my current obsession. I wanted to think a little bit about all the rumours, all the criticism and the underlying discourse that Arsenal are a "selling" team now. While losing Nasri and Fabergas in one summer without a big signing to replace them (so far) is bad news, and together with the flight of Eboue, Clichy and Bentner (to come) certainly looks like a sell off, there is a flip side to the story. These players, including Nasri and Fabergas, are the ones that have not brought a trophy to Arsenal in six long years. Sure they could have used more talent around them, but they have often underperformed on the big occasions -- and the late season collapses cannot really be put at the feet of Wenger, unless we include his rather paltry record in the transfer market for a couple of years. Yet the new stadium has played a part, and this is the first time he is flush with money in a few years. I also want to point out that most of the players we unloaded in the past several years have never performed to the same level upon leaving (including beloved Henri and Viera). It is also true that Arsenal's wage structure, while commendable, makes it hard for them to compete for or keep top quality players. But the victory on Wednesday showed a group of youngsters with more meddle than the first team had whenever it mattered most. All I need do is say FA Cup Final, Champions League Final and Carling Cup Final (and also late season collapses in league hunt) to give a lot of Gooners pause. I love Fabergas, but he didn't finish the job for us and Nasri's late drop in form certainly hurt us coming in with the league title in our clear sites. And Eboue? His error probably ended said title hunt against Liverpool. To get back to Fabergas, his error right before the half at Barcelona to give them the 1-0 lead in the return leg changed the face of the game and a similar error before the half against Tottenham made a comfortable 3-1 lead 3-2 on the road and led to two draws in two games, when they very well could have had six points. A final point on Nasri -- he often disappeared in games, failed to score with good opportunities and has shown himself to be a classless player since leaving (including saying he needs the competition for first team to really play his best -- um, the champions league, carling cup final, FA cup and potential league title aren't enough motivation for this egomaniac? (good riddance).

So while many would argue I'm crazy, I think we might be a better team moving forward with players with real desire, quality and maybe a winning edge that's been missing including Frimpong, Vermaelen and Gervinho leading the way. There is a lot of young talent on this team and many will soon find their way into the first team. We clearly need at least three players by next Wednesday, but is it really as gloomy as everyone seems to imply? In the first game, Arsenal were undone by the inability to finish -- a similar problem to the past two years on occasion -- and a questionable red card. The same happened against Liverpool, though in this case they probably deserved it. They've won their other two games -- against Udinese -- and the second leg was truly impressive from a team that has too often folded when the pressure was on. The defense has looked surprisingly strong so far and the young talent will find their way I believe (though I still think Wolcott overvalues himself, even as he has performed well in the two champions league games and needs to put up or shut up in the league).

Finally, is all the rumours in the transfer market. I believe we should pick up Jagielka or Cahill ASAP and stop messing about. It looks like we only need 3 million pounds more to get the former and a reasonable bid to get the latter. In the midfield, there are tons of rumours about -- my pick would, of course, be Hazard, though Martin. Elia, Valbuena or a few others could fill the role well. Hopefully the bid for M'Villa will come through giving us another choice for our holding midfielder and then we need to pick up a striker. Now let's look at the math. Hazard could probably be bought for 35 million pounds based on the latest storiesfrom France last night, Cahill or Jagielka would take 15 to 17 and M'Villa 22. If we add this up it is 35+15+22=72 million. That still leaves 8 to 10 to get a striker. Can Wenger actually spend this much? One doubts it. But other options to Hazard are available for cheaper, so why not spend the 60 to 80 and be done with it? Time is running out and pinching pennies right now makes no sense. On the other hand, it appears that Wenger is keeping quiet about his plans at present, given Man City and Chelsea's attempt to undermine any of their moves. One could even argue that Man City went so hard for Nasri not so much for his talent (which will certainly help them) but to screw Arsenal. The same could be said of the Clichy swoop, though my sense is he is past his prime and it was a good time to sell, and the Mata move by Chelsea (though they can certainly use him).

All this will be moot if Arsene fails to make a move, because that will probably lead to a mass exodus from the team including new captain Van Persie, who has made it clear he wants increased support, quality and experience around him. My prediction is moves will be made and there is still hope. I even have an odd feeling we might surprise a lot of people and put in a good showing at Man U. Of course I have been called crazy before. Prediction - 2-1 Arsenal!