It gets said pretty much every year but this summer feels like a more important transfer window than most for Arsenal.
The Gunners are ending the 2014/15 campaign on an impressive run, barring recent defeats and draws to Swansea City and Sunderland respectively, and are resultantly expected to launch their most viable Premier League title bid for almost a decade next season.
In order to do that, however, the north Londoners need pretty much the perfect summer, where the right signings are brought in, the right players are booted out and the club is left in a much stronger position.
But Arsene Wenger’s track record in the transfer market isn’t exactly exemplary. The Gunners gaffer certainly knows how to find good value for money, yet his long-term approach and lack of ruthlessness often has a one-step-forward-two-steps-back effect.
So to keep ‘Le Prof’ on the right path, Football FanCast have drafted a summer to do list for the Emirates outfit.
BUY A TOP CLASS NO.1
David Opsina has performed well since stepping in for the shower-smoking Wojciech Szczesny as Arsenal’s No.1, claiming eight clean sheets in 17 Premier League appearances, coming into the side just as the Gunners began to pick up form.
But we’ve been here before with Arsenal goalkeepers. Manuel Almunia was Jens Lehmann’s understudy before taking the No.1 mantle and Szczesny’s was the Spaniard’s until a horrendous run of form saw their roles reversed.
Instead of pinning their hopes on yet another second-choice ‘keeper to have broken into the first team only due to the inadequacies of others, the north Londoners need to sign a proven, world-class, long-term stopper this summer who can be depended upon for the next four or five years.
The obvious answer is Chelsea’s Petr Cech. Some tabloids claim the Gunners have already entered negotiations to sign the four-time Premier League winner, who represents the exact balance of quality and experience they should be looking for this summer.
Some potential alternatives include Inter Milan’s Samir Handanovic, a two-time Serie A Team of the Year member whose San Siro contract is set to expire in 2016, Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic, who offers proven Premier League pedigree, and Southampton’s monolithic shot-stopper, Fraser Forster.
Strengthen the strike-force
Arsene Wenger’s faith in Olivier Giroud appears to be unconditional and admittedly, the France international, through his height, power and link-up play, has certainly proved a useful tool over the last three campaigns.
But the fact of the matter is that in the last five seasons, not one club have been named Premier League champions without their top scorer netting in excess of twenty goals. Diego Costa, only through injury, might prove to be a rare anomaly this term with only 19 in an otherwise consistent Premier League trend. Giroud, meanwhile, has not scored more than 16 in his three top flight campaigns.
So Wenger needs to find either an upgrade on the 28-year-old this summer or an alternative option that offers more natural poacher instincts than the industrious and versatile Danny Welbeck – who has proved to be a rather underwhelming addition since moving to the Emirates last summer.
Top class strikers aren’t in copious supply at the minute, but there’s certainly a number of front-men on the market who could compete with Giroud for his regular lone striking role.
Gonzalo Higuain for example, a Gunners target in summer 2013, looks set to leave Napoli after their failure to qualify for next term’s Champions League. Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca, who could fire the La Liga outfit to a second consecutive Europa League title next Wednesday, has a £21million release clause in his contract, whilst the buy-out fee of Porto star Jackson Martinez, boasting 92 goals in 132 appearances for the Dragons, is just £7million more.
Likewise, Burnley’s Danny Ings and Marseille’s Andre Pierre Gignac will be available on free transfers this summer, whilst recent reports claim Barcelona could relinquish winger-forward Pedro – not a striker per se, for just £7million.
REDUCE THE WAGE BILL
Arsenal’s wage bill surpassed Chelsea’s for the first time in over a decade this season – despite the gulf in quality between the Gunners and the Premier League champions – so in my opinion it’s imperative Arsene Wenger shifts some of the deadwood in the summer.
We already know Mathieu Flamini and Abou Diaby are most likely heading out of the exit door, with their contracts set to expire at the end of the campaign.
But some further cuts certainly wouldn’t go amiss. Mikel Arteta and Lukas Podolski all allegedly earn within the region of £80k per week. Although they add depth to the squad, it hardly seems like good value for money, considering they’ve made just eleven Premier League starts collectively this term.
That money would be better used attracting a top class name to the Emirates with a mega-contract. Paul Pogba anyone?
CASH IN ON HOME-GROWNS
In comparison to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, who have made an art form of selling the right player at the right time, the Gunners never seem to get a fair price for their departees. Real Madrid, for example, paid more for Gareth Bale than Arsenal made selling Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie combined.
So perhaps it’s time Arsene Wenger showed a little more ruthlessness on this front – selling players that could be worth more to the north Londoners on the transfer market than on the pitch.
Take Jack Wilshere for instance, a talented prospect by all means yet one that’s continually riddled with injury problems – making just 95 Premier League appearances out of a possible 190 since his first team breakthrough in 2010.
Manchester City, in desperate need of young home-grown talent, would pay an absolute fortune to sign the England international this summer. The tabloids claim they’re prepared to offer £30million. That could be a new goalkeeper, defensive midfielder or centre-forward for Arsenal.
Likewise, a plethora of clubs would cough up top dollar for Theo Walcott, despite the fact he’s managed 21 Premier League appearances over the last two campaigns and has just a year left on his contract, purely because home-grown goalscorers are becoming an ever rarer breed.
It’s most likely Wenger will do whatever he can to hold onto these players this summer. But in my opinion, their fiscal vastly outweighs their footballing worth. West Ham loanee Carl Jenkinson is another who belongs firmly in this category.
SIGN A MIDFIELD MONOLITH
There’s a glass ceiling between Arsenal and the other title challengers and it’s epitomised best by their lack of physicality in central midfield. Chelsea have Nemanja Matic, Manchester City have Yaya Toure, Manchester United have Marouane Fellaini, but the Gunners’ engine room is filled with diminutive playmakers.
Francis Coquellin has added a more defensive dynamic in recent months but the north Londoners are still in desperate need of height and power. It’s a problem that’s plagued them for years and Arsene Wenger can’t afford to put it off for another summer – especially with Arsenal expected to mount their most viable title charge for nearly a decade next season.
There’s certainly some decent options on the market. The common suggestion in the tabloids is Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin. He measures in at 6 foot 2 and has averaged the second-most tackles per match, 3.7, of any Premier League player this term.
But some viable alternatives include Sporting Lisbon’s beastly play-breaker William Carvalho, valued around the £20million mark, Real Madrid’s bosman-bound World Cup winner Sami Khedira, Monaco’s prodigious anchor Geoffrey Kondogbia and Bayern Munich’s forgotten man Javi Martinez.
Admittedly, it doesn’t have to be a defensive minded player. Newcastle’s industrious Moussa Sissoko and Juventus warrior Arturo Vidal represent more progressive options.
But either way, adding physicality to the engine room is vital if the Gunners intend to take next year’s crown.