Transfers Archives - Arsenation

Arsenal plotting triple swoop for England hitman, budding Welsh defender and impressive Pole?

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May 102013

With no game over the weekend due to Wigan’s participation in the FA cup, it leaves things reasonably quiet again from an Arsenal perspective.

We’re currently holding a one-point edge over Tottenham with two matches left in the race for a Champions League berth. The outcome will decide exactly how much leverage Arsene Wenger has during the always important summer transfer window.

Elite players are normally looking for a chance to play in Europe’s top club competition; so if the Gunners are planning to aim high in the coming months, they must take care of business in very winnable matches against Wigan and Newcastle.

As Arsenal focus on locking up a coveted Champions League spot, let’s examine some of the latest transfer buzz involving the club. It includes talk about Wayne Rooney, whose future at Manchester United remains up in the air.

Rooney has spent nearly a decade with Manchester United, developing into one of the league’s most dangerous attacking players during that time. Now he’s 27 and where he starts next season is likely to become one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas.

Reports are circulating Arsenal and Chelsea have joined the Rooney sweepstakes, which already included Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. It’s also stated the longtime United star had requested a move before Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement.

If United decided to move Rooney, one of the biggest question marks would be whether or not staying in the Premier League is an option. If so, Arsenal could certainly use a natural striker like him to lead the attack. But it would come down to the asking price, which could be sky high if PSG is involved.

After two straight strong Premier League seasons with Swansea, it’s no surprise Williams is starting to generate some attention. The 28-year-old defender has been a stalwart for the Capital One Cup champions and could handle the jump to a bigger club.

Arsenal and Liverpool are both interested in adding him to their back lines. Swansea clearly isn’t in any hurry to move him, however, having reportedly placed a £10 million price tag on their budding star.

While that’s definitely a high asking price for Williams, it’s not an unreasonable starting point for negotiations. He would further solidify an Arsenal back line that’s been the most consistent part of the club throughout the campaign.

Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed my first piece. Up the Arsenal.

By Josh.

Follow me on twitter – @_JoshCazorla49

£70 million, will it be spent?

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Apr 262013

There’s been gossip about arsenal transfers in every paper virtually since the beginning of the season, linking us with all sorts of players from zaha to cavani. It’s a roller-coster being an arsenal fan. When players get linked with us you get caught in a trap knowing its not going to happen but getting your hopes up that the star will be wearing an arsenal shirt next year.

What makes this summer so different from previous summers? The pressure Wenger has come under has been building and building and the horrific sale of van persie to our closest rivals has only intensified the pressure. For many years we’ve been expecting transfers which for whatever reasons haven’t occurred. The likes of Juan Mata and Gary Cahill have been linked with us and we haven’t splashed out the money we supposedly have. Both these players have joined our bitter rivals and gone onto win silverware. We may have Cazorla but you can only admire the skills shown by Mata. He also holds a more prominent role with the impressive multi trophy winning Spain. This being said I take nothing away from Santi but the only difference I would draw upon is the consistently difference.

I’m not going to mention the players who have left over the 8 year period which has seen us fall from the most reliable team to a team which stutters and breaks down. But Wenger has ultimately has this summer to prove he’s a changed man and the fact he’s still able to compete at the top level which had become questionable. Is he now just relying on old tricks bringing in top performing French players like Giroud. Who ultimately find it hard to transfer to the quick pace of the premier league. The team currently lacks the depth of our rivals and the spark on a consistent basis. The 70 million sum being banded about is vital to get Arsenal back to the level we all expect to be at. But without champions league will we be able to attract the top players like the dangerous, Jovetic. Seems unlikely. I’ve group up with arsenal being in the top 4 and us falling out of that will be our biggest dent yet. The 70million will have to be spent well- we don’t need more mediocre players who will perform for only 10% of the season.

This is a vital time..

By Charlie Gordon-Smith

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Could AFC improve by buying big?

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Apr 202013

I was prompted to write this article by transfer speculation linking Arsenal to yet another diminutive playmaker, Takashi Inui who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt. Mr Inui is a tad less than 5”7. It made me think about a conversation I had with a Manchester City supporter about twelve years ago; he was recalling having seen the Arsenal team get off the bus before an away game (I think he said it was at Bolton) and was astounded at how physically big the Arsenal team were. Well over half the team were six foot plus, in fact only Cole and Ljunberg were on the small side and they were over 5”9, Bobby Pires, 6”2.

We live in an era where football aficionados wax lyrical about the tiki-taka style embodied by Barcelona – quite rightly too, they’re fantastic. But Barca don’t face Stoke or Everton week in week out do they? I have no axe to grind regarding Everton’s tactics on Tuesday night, and I was actually quite impressed by the way Arsenal coped with a physical Everton side, and yet again Ramsey was first class. But if life is a collection of small advantages, to quote Angelo Dundee, then why should we expect teams to try and play us at our own game? Admittedly, Everton played right on the edge and Darren Gibson was very lucky to stay on the pitch, but they were robust as opposed to dirty, it’s part of the way the game’s played in these isles.

However, we do seem to lose too many of the individual battles in midfield. Whenever Arsenal win three consecutive tackles, I must confess to feeling mild shock, I just don’t expect it to happen – but it used to, all the time. I remember Anfield 1989; we literally kicked the scousers off the pitch, didn’t allow them to settle at all. Those of us with longer memories remember the sharp intake of breath every time Peter Storey went in for a “tackle” at Highbury, so let’s not kid ourselves, a bit of rough stuff is part of the game and used to be very much part of our game. One of the defining aspects from Tuesday’s match (and it was the same when we played them at Goodison) was Mikel Arteta struggling manfully to contain Fellaini, who is six years younger, eight inches taller and I would guess, two stones heavier than him.
One of the criticisms of the George Graham era was that he didn’t buy enough flair players (the signings of the sublime Stefan Schwarz and Anders Limpar challenge this) but preferred to sign any decent centre half that came on the market. In the same vein, Mr Wenger seems to have tried to corner the market in 5 foot something midfield players; we’ve got stacks of them! Cazorla, Wilshere, Arshavin, Rosicky, Arteta and Ramsey, good players all of them, technically gifted, but none of them bigger than your average welterweight.

Whether the manager likes it or not, football in this country is 90% perspiration and it’s a game for powerful athletes. The complaint I hear most regularly from supporters, is that we don’t have a towering presence in midfield like Patrick Vieira. I’m sorry, but players like him are once a generation and we were very lucky that we had his best years. However, I believe that we should consider the physical demands of modern football as well as how technically gifted a player might be. This summer, bring in some six footers.

Please feel free to comment below, or you can follow me @CMJIanB

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Does Giroud meet the grade?

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Apr 192013

It’s that time of year again. The weather starts picking up and we as fans are constantly reminded of potential new signings during the time of year that no Arsenal supporter enjoys; the transfer window. Maybe I’m just sceptical, but every year seems to offer me the exact same hope and expectation, only to be torn away in the form of high-profile departures or the recruitment of players who do not exactly stimulate the footballing pallet.

I was genuinely optimistic last summer following the sale of Robin van Persie (not specifically this part!) and the signings of Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla (very specifically this part!) and Olivier Giroud. But having had nearly a full season to observe this new-look Arsenal side, now seems as good a time as any to look at the impact of one of the trio, Giroud, the player who has arguably created the biggest difference in opinion amongst both fans and the media alike.

On initial viewing, Olivier’s debut campaign looks fairly impressive; 17 goals and 13 assists to date. However, numbers do not always tell the whole story. As a case in point, Dennis Bergkamp finished his first season with 11 goals, showing that figures can often be misleading and skewed to say whatever a person wants. Obviously the Dutchman is a completely different player but the comparison remains relevant. To further this, we can look at the ridiculous point that everyone made following Giroud’s first goal for the club; that he scored his first quicker than Thierry Henry did. What a waste of time that comparison was. By that reckoning, Giroud will eventually score more than Henry. I think not.

Out of Giroud’s 11 Premier League goals this season, four have come in 7-3 and 5-1 demolitions of Newcastle and West Ham respectively, but how often is he the one that makes the difference? He has scored vital goals for us, including the goal against Norwich that made it 2-1 on Saturday. But, there are countless more opportunities where he has had clear chances, yet failed to make them count. Without going into much thought, I can recall chances against Sunderland and Chelsea at home that should have been converted and while some may argue that being so early in his career at the club may have played an impact, the Everton game on Tuesday showed he still has difficulty in converting on a regular and reliable basis.

Last season, whenever the chips were down, van Persie was always likely to provide the pivotal moment in a game. This is probably an unfair argument to the Frenchman, when you consider the man he had to replace. We as Arsenal fans have been spoilt over the past decade, being treated to some of the finest attacking players in World football. Van Persie, Bergkamp and Henry are not exactly easy acts to follow! But maybe that is an indication of the level that this side are currently playing at and of the calibre of player that we are able to attract in the present climate.

To this point, this article probably sounds like I am not a fan of Giroud when in reality, quite the opposite is true. I rate him highly and you cannot help but admire his work rate and desire to win. The way he brings others into play adds an element of balance to the side and also provides a focal point for the attack.

Arsenal also don’t make use of Giroud’s strengths enough for my liking. Often the Frenchman will flick balls on from goal-kicks and none of his team-mates are close enough to him to challenge for the second ball. His aerial ability is something that we should be utilizing more often, and too often crosses are put into the wrong areas where he is not likely to be able to get to.

Giroud would no doubt benefit from having someone play closer to him, be it through a second striker or by the wingers closing the game a bit tighter during certain passages of play. In terms of the first point, I’ve always thought that he would benefit from having someone like Walcott next to him in a conventional ‘small man, big man’ combination. However, 4-4-2 seems to be very much a thing of the past and unlikely to resurrect in the foreseeable future.

Olivier Giroud has shown a lot during his first season at the club, and for the best part has produced more positives that negatives. I can think of plenty of examples of players who have had far worse first seasons and gone on to be exceptional for the club. Robert Pires anyone!? I don’t think even the most optimistic of Gooners would have predicted his second season being quite as brilliant as it was before it was cruelly cut short. I think Giroud has plenty more to offer and perhaps with the signing of another striker to increase competition and offer an alternative, he will become an even more integral figure next season. Let’s just hope that finally ends in that elusive trophy!

Follow me on Twitter @tomdow7

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Fast forward to transfer season

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Mar 292013

This season is nearly over and we are not looking to shabby. Okay despite the fact that we are sitting fifth just under Spurs, we look like we have the (excuse my language) balls to take the fight to them. Today is not about that though, i have my own personal wishlist which doubles up as a strong suggestion list for next season, please if you don’t agree tweet me and we will discuss this and i’ll just be right. Taking into consideration that we have tons of potential at the club and seemingly almost as much experience, this time my cries are just not as painful but just as urgent.

I’ll start for the back because that’s the numerical order and it just makes sense.

Keeper

Although Szeczney is seriously amazing and has experience coupled with abilities that are beyond his years, the young man still needs to grow up. I think for a while now he has been getting really comfortable between the sticks and rightfully so as his club and international team mate Fabianski has been injured. I would love to see him (Fabianski) play a consistently threatening role to the number 1 keeper so that we do not have any complacency within the camp. In terms of an extra keeper, maybe one with more experience would be good to keep him on his toes? Well rumor has it that Valdez has captured the eye of Mr Wenger and for that i just have 3 words. DON’T DO IT. Although the Barcelona keeper has a whole lot of Cups In his gloves, he seriously is horrible. The combination of Alves, Puyol, Pique, Alba and Busquets aid the faulty keeper and help keep Barca at the top. I would love to see the Dutch International Steklenburg in Arsenal colours next year ( provided it’s not that pink kit). He really is quite the perfect balance between a keeper and a shot stopper and most importantly know how to command a defence which Szeczney really struggles to do or he is just not commanding enough. Jaaskeleinen is not having a horrible season at all I mean, if all else fails we could bid for him or Newcastle’s Krul.

Defensive line

This season our back four have been asked all sorts of questions and more often than we would like to admit, we have been left with no answers and just questions. The captain has not been too impressive at all this season and I know I’m not the only one that thinks so. The addition of Monreal on the left really made a huge difference in comparison to the dud we had in Andre Santos. It doesn’t look like Sagna is going to stay next season and in that case having Gregory V.D Wiel to replace Sagna i think would be a great boost to the back. I am aware that he just got to PSG so maybe that’s aiming a little too high. Dortmunds Lukas Piszczek is not a bad option either, though I’m not sure if they would be willing to sell such a quality player and crucial part of the back line. (something they have to learn at Arsenal). Please note that I am not in any way undermining the work rate or improvement of Carl, however just one more season and I think he will be ready to take up the responsibility. We do have a lot of center backs, Djrourou will be making his way back from Hannover and hopefully he has gained some much needed confidence and game time. Hummels is the only player I can think of at the moment that is within our reach and at the right price we could get him.

Midfield

Firstly I would all like us to agree that selling Diaby is a good idea, that or sending him out on loan. I do appreciate the French in this defensive position and for that reason I think that long time target, Yann Mvilla should be strongly considered. His pass rate, work rate are really off the charts with him having the ability to attack as well as defend, him or Etinne Capoue. If we could nab Yanga Mbiwa from New Castle and tempt him with Champions league (granted we finish top four and qualify) then that would be awesome as he can also play the defensive role in the middle. Diame from West Ham is an absolute beast and would be a serious asset to us defensively. Our attacking options are not too concerning, however I did hear a rumor that Rosicky could leave. That would be to our very own detriment as a club, selling our best players and most experienced players is the reason we are in this mess. Maybe a bid for Mario Gotze, Gourcuff, Kalstroom, Robben , Kroos, Gustavo, Granero and Michu. I think any of the 8 players would fit in well with the squad, granted they are an addition and not a replacement to what we already have.

Attacking

We have Ox, Walcott, Gervinho, Podolski, and Giroud. Now, while all of these players are World Class, they are seriously struggling to connect with each other. The goal tally between them is really not that bad at all. We do however need an enforcer in the front there. Someone that is big like Drogba, Henry and Ibra. If we do not get a big striker then a clinical finisher like David Villa, Lewandowski and Dzeko would be our next best plan. Cisse is looking pretty good upfront. Taarabt from QPR and even Wright-Philips would be a good addition to the team. We are struggling with goal scorers at the moment, not really pace. Edison Cavani was also tipped to be on the transfer list radar. We would be a threat going forward if we had him on the starting line up or Milan’s Cassano. Fernando Llorente was linked with us, not having the best season but still, his finishing abilities are way above average. Aston Villa’s Benteke is a problem at the moment. He can seriously run for 90minutes of the game and still have some energy left for extra time and while doing all that, he poses a threat all the time.

These are obviously not all the most amazing players but they are the players that can add something more to the squad and force the current crop to work harder and grow a lot faster.

I will be back tomorrow with the ideal match situation for Reading. Reviews and preview for the game. This really cooked my brain though so as I recover, enjoy the reading.

By Ntokozo Hlongwane

Come on Wenger, Buy that Guy

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Jan 312013

We all know that our beloved Arsenal played Liverpool last night and it was seriously an annoying game. Not because we drew (okay that’s part of it) but because we just weren’t clinical in front of goal and now we dropped 2 crucial points. Even though it’s not a laughing matter, I did find myself release a painful laughter at the blunders made by our most experienced defenders (No Santos is not one of them). Watching Sagna trip over his feet and Vermaalen taking a huge strike at the ball to clear it but getting a whole lot of fresh air instead was rather painful to watch. The second goal was just karma biting me in the butt. When the player line ups were on screen I may have hinted at Henderson being the most useless £20million signing ever, then karma showed me that Andre Santos was more useless.

Going straight to the 2 goals we took back with a beautiful ball from Jack and a tight angle strike by Mr Walcott. Giroud looking good at the moment with five goals in three games, it looks like the French international is settling in nicely at the Emirates.

My main concern and I know I’m not the only one that thinks that time is being wasted in this January transfer period. Gibbs is injured now and unless Wenger can find a SUITABLE replacement for the young left back we are going to suffer for the next month with a below average back four. In my opinion, Carl Jenkinson is the only player at the moment that would do well on the left so loaning him to Stoke would be a huge mistake on the Managers part.

We have been linked with about 10 players and most have been taken from right under our nose and all because we will only sign quality players. I agree fully, quality players only but then a sense of urgency is needed as we are not the only club that can spot quality. These are the players we have been linked with and have lost; Loric Remy gone to QPR, Mbiwa gone to new castle, Zaha gone to United and Yann Mvila gone somewhere is Russia and the latest news is that West Ham’s Diame could extend his contract with the London club. This could leave us a little bare in the middle in terms of defence.

Priority has to be a new left back. I know we have Ignasi Miguel and he can play on the left but he has no experience just a lot of potential. If by 11pm we can secure a good left back to cover for Gibbs, a solid Defensive mid-fielder, a clinical finisher (not urgent but would be a great help) and sell Santos, we would have had a successful business month this January. The three attackers we have the moment are looking good. Finding each other when it matters, I just don’t know why they don’t shoot at all. Reina was not looking good at all last night, the game should have easily been in our hands but the constant passing and not enough shooting is killing us.

We have a good chance against Stoke on Saturday. If we can prevent the early conceding and switch it up to some early game goal scoring, then I’ll be brave and say that we can finish in the top four and play Champions league next season.

I will be watching that clock tick and keep a close eye on that transfer news. Fingers crossed we can make it happen. ARSENAL TILL I DIE!!!!!!!!!!

By Ntokozo Hlongwane

Have the media built up the transfer window expectations way too much for Arsenal FC?

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Jan 212013

Even before the window started we were linked with a whole bunch of players, and as a modern day Gooner I personally know not to get too excited. Even in November when we were linked with our first of two stories of a thirty million pound move for Edinson Cavani, to say I laughed it off was a major understatement. I along with many other gooners have the same belief that if a player is anything over that scary sixteen million pound mark then we just do not sign them, never has happened so far and considering how tight the board and Wenger seem to be with money only the bravest (and maybe the most optimistic) Gooners would fall for that old story time and time again! So we were then entangled in a web of media-made nonsense, as I’m willing to bet that upwards of 95 percent of the stories coming out from around Europe are completely made up!

The first that really caught my eye was maybe a week or so before the new year with a specific website saying that “A Transfer fee has been agreed for Arda Turan and Arsenal”. This I admit did grab my attention! He is a player that would totally help our creative line and can play anywhere across the midfield and wings. Then the fee of twenty million pounds was suggested and after about 5 days the story fell off the face of the earth. So with that story the water broke on the first of January 2013 (surviving a media-made Apocalypse mind you) and from then on the “Arsenal have seventy million pounds to spend” stories started to circulate.

With the twenty one days that have passed since the window has opened and for the sake or reiterating what I have already said that 95 percent of the stories floating about were either dead in the water or the ones which never had any real validity to them had faded away and like the cycle of the transfer window’s existance from the prospective of a footballing journalist, it was time to either recycle some of the old stories, come up with some new ones, or do some digging to find out what Arsene and the board had in mind; indeed if anything.

Which brought us to strong links with Wilfred Zaha then Lecister City’s Anthony Knockaert and an unknown versatile Zambian defender, Stoppila Sunzu. Fees were agreed, terms were agreed: the whole nine yards! Yet no one linked had made a move, and still the stories persisted with twenty five million pound moves for Mats Hummels, thirty million pound moves for Edinson Cavani (again) and Gonzalo Higuain and even matching the release clause of Mario Gotze; all these rumors failing to inspire by now even the most optimistic of Arsenal supporters.

Then the twitter breakthrough that Arsenal had made a thirty million pound move for an unknown player which for all we know, could have been seen by the mystery club, and instantly turned down before the player himself even got out of the showers from a training session! Regardless of what had come in the first three weeks of the window nothing has given any indication that Arsenal and indeed, Arsene Wenger has an eye on any specific player even if it is abundantly clear that’s what is required.

My point to this article is that the media have built up all these big money stories (and of course the Arsenal board and Arsene Wenger are not helping themselves by saying they have money to spend) and so far nothing has even given our fans one glimmer of realistic hope! Has the media even caused us to give up on targets because as soon as any legitimate interest from Arsenal came it was spilled out to the media so quickly that the club would make decisions based on what was coming out of social media and and the newspapers?

I for one hope that this isn’t the case, but this is the sad reality of transfers at this point in time. Coincidentally, what if Arsenal actually had a target in mind and were preparing a bid only for someone in the public to “make up” a story and for it to go all over the internet and by the time a call was made the initial enquiry for x amount of dollars for a player had increased because the other club had learned that Arsenal (by no fault of their own) were planning a move for a player?

These are just a few of what i am sure are thousands of scenarios that football clubs all over the world go through daily and being that I am an Arsenal fan, this is the only club I care about and I hope that of the near hundreds of players we have been linked to within this window alone, that we will manage to sign even one of them because at this point we are staring down the barrel of a non Champions League place and it would be a real shame if the media at all had a hand to play in ruining an attempted move for any given player.

Above all else, there is still nine days left and Arsene does always have that card up his sleeve, let’s just hope it’s an ace.

Follow me on twitter @JakeArsenal

Arsenal close in on impressive French international

So Now, Who’s to blame?

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Jan 162013

As I watched the game on Sunday, I actually had no idea what to do with myself. Do I scream at the fact that Arsenal was in complete shambles? or do I just say: “Well at least we are playing well with 10 men”?

I will start right at the top with the board members; they need to let go of that money they are holding onto so tightly and pump some of it into the club. Well that’s it on those guys.

Now as for Wenger, we are calling for his head and justifiably so, the club has gone down from being one of the top four clubs in the EPL to being a mid-table club. He is most definitely to blame for the ridiculous display of non- competitive football that we are playing at the moment.

As a manger that claims to love a club so much you cannot allow an 8 year Cup drought. The problem, in my opinion, is that the club is constantly “getting there” but they never actually peak. As a third party spectator I find myself at a loss when it comes to the ultimate goal that the team I avidly support is striving towards, I should be able to plainly see that when they step onto the field, so that begs the question: “are the players even aware, or are they simply going through the motions?”

Take a look at Chelsea’s Victor Moses, we were bidding for him at some point last season and I honestly thought that as a player he was a complete dud. However, at the moment he is proving all the critics (I know I wasn’t the only one) wrong and shaping up to be a great player. The reason why is because he is surrounded by experienced players. As a club we have great potential but no experienced players to groom it, so for selling all the experienced players and not replacing them adequately I blame Wenger.

As for the lazy performance that these players showcase; WOW! I have never seen my club play such poor and mundane football. I don’t know if they all have stomach cramps but they make playing for Arsenal look like such a chore. At the moment there is no player at Arsenal with a Cup. The starting 11 are World Class players that should (on paper) create a positive result against most teams but instead they will beat New Castle 7-3 and then draw 1-1 to Southampton. Even if you are unhappy with something as a professional it is your job to produce results. For the mediocre football I blame the players.

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, new experienced players, but even that light dims at the end of January. We have to spend money to save our season.

Tonight we play Swansea and as a recent self-made tradition, I will be wearing my purple fury shirt with my name “Lukes #7″ on the back.

COME ON ARSENAL!!!!!

By Lukanyo Hlongwane

Mid Term Report – Damned with Faint Praise

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Jan 032013

We are just over half way through the season, 20 games played, eighteen to go, so how are we doing?

Goalkeepers. Overall I think that Szczesny has played quite well and Mannone did okay when he came in as cover. Brian Clough once famously said that when you take over a new team, the first player that you buy is a great keeper and the second player you buy is a great keeper. We have strength in depth in some areas (midget midfielders in particular…), but not at ‘keeper. Mr Wenger has greater priorities in the market, but I would like to see Arsenal buy an established ‘keeper to challenge Szczesny and therefore provide better cover.
6.5 / 10.

Defence. This has been a problem area for ages, let’s face it. Players arrive at Arsenal as highly experienced defensive practitioners and seem to become disoriented amateurs. However, we started the season really well; three clean sheets, unheard of and it looked like Steve Bould’s influence had taken hold, but since then, we’ve slipped backwards, the two goals conceded in the league match at Reading were particularly galling, the game was won and the back four seemed to lose concentration completely.

We have conceded 22 goals on 20 games, that’s not bad and I quite like the look of Gibbs – Vermaelen – Matersacker – Sagna, but the back five needs more support. If you talk to supporters before and after matches, the one player that is mentioned as an absolute necessity to buy is a defensive midfield player. I completely agree and such an addition would tighten things at the back, but overall, 6 / 10.

A special mention to Carl Jenkinson, he did really well when he came in as cover to Sagna.

Midfield. This should always be a strength for Arsenal. We have had great quality in this area of the pitch since the mid 90’s and we still do, Cazorla is a fantastic signing, you have to watch him in the flesh to realise just how good he is. Wilshere has come back just as good as he was before he was injured and Arteta is class, sheer class, so why aren’t we dominating teams? I think the balance isn’t right. If we were to buy a genuine defensive holding player, to sit behind those three, we would be far more compact. We have to assume that Diaby will come back and then get injured again within a month, sad because at Anfield, Liverpool couldn’t live with him.

There have been a few games this season (in fact I can think of at least 5) where we have created virtually nothing. I happened to bump into Marouanne Fellaini before Christmas and praised him for his first half performance against us at Goodison and then asked him if he’d sign for Arsenal, he smiled, inclined his head and said “why not?” He was being polite but could you imagine him in a read and white shirt supporting, Mikel, Jack and Santi? Unlikely I know, but football’s about dreaming. Score 7 / 10, a work still very much in progress.

Forwards. There are talks this week between the club and Walcott’s advisers. It is important to do this deal for several reasons; the major one of course is tying a promising young player to a long contract. But failure to do so sends out some really poor signals, the manager is on (reputedly) £55,000 a week more than the highest paid player – that disparity speaks volumes about lack of investment at the top end of the player scale, and it would be yet another example of letting a top player slip away from the Arsenal, then there’s the real risk of Walcott leaving for nothing.

I was very positive about the signings of Podolski and Giroud and have been impressed by the Frenchman but I think we’re still waiting to see the best from the German; I’m not too sure why that’s the case. There’s the prevalent myth that players from the Bundesliga adapt quickest the premiership, 100+ caps for Germany etc…, but he’s yet to put in a convincing performance, although he did play well at Anfield. Giroud looks really game however, direct, strong, not afraid to shoot; I like him and think that if Walcott stays that’s a partnership waiting to be forged. Even if Theo does sign, I’m still heartened by the news that we have opened discussions with Atletico Madrid to sign Adrian Lopez. If this deal can be funded by selling Gervinho even better! We’ve scored 40 goals in 20 games, but we have to take into account that 23 of those were scored in four games. 6 / 10.

Manager and coaching staff. I still believe (just) that Mr Wenger is the right man for the role, but with a slightly different team and approach. The basis of the team seems to be in place and the man’s contribution to the club since 1996 is immense and the supporters need to remember that the next time they fancy marching against him. However, as he is such a master of spin and politics and has the board in his pocket, it’s almost impossible to form a single consistent opinion, he changes the goalposts superbly. His latest “big idea” to build a team around young British talent seems great, but I think that we all know that it should be interpreted as Arsenal continuing to avoid breaking their £15 million signing ceiling.

The memories of the home games against Schalke and Swansea are still too vivid to point to any real, consistent improvement and we were hugely flattered by the result at Old Trafford and as for being knocked out by Bradford… However, use the window to sign up Walcott, Lopez and a holding player and who knows? Actually, I think we do, we’re in a fight for fourth and at the moment, it looks more likely like it’s a fight we’ll lose. 5 / 10.

Sadly, I feel that the only way we can force our way back into contention for the real prizes is to agree a succession plan with the manager (that he has to fully sign up to) and to secure a new coach with a real track record, keen and able to change things. Guardiola is genuinely interested in working in London; we should be talking to his management team now. If this is a non-runner and it probably is, at least it would demonstrate that the club is serious about its future.

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