As we have seen at Anfield and especially at our recent day out at Wembley, buying a match winner can seriously change the outcome of games. As baffling as it was, a little Russian who happens to be our most expensive signing, illegible for Champions League football and has shown glimpses of being the best supporting forward we’ve had at Arsenal since Dennis Bergkamp was left to watch his new club take to the quagmire of Wembley from the bench. What resulted was a routine Arsenal performance, where we lead a match and inevitably crumble and surrender with minutes to spare. Similarly three days later we lead at Anfield three times, and still couldn’t secure three points. However on this occasion, our new addition started, and scored all four glimpses he had on goal. These chances were also the only four chances that we had as a team (omitting from that the two perfectly good goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Cesc Fabregas that were ruled offside).

So what, apart from the fact that the selection at Wembley was completely wrong, does this tell us? What has alerted me the most about this is the fact that we were close to letting this miniature maestro get away, even after he was prepared to pay large sums back to his old club to play in our wonderful shirt. It reminds me of another player who was desperate to join us about three years ago. Frank Ribery basically sent out a ‘come and get me’ message to the Arsenal, but we weren’t prepared to pay the £17 million asking price. Is this a lack of funds? Is somebody frightened of spending OUR hard earned cash?

With the ever so extortionate prices at the E******s for seats, pies, scarves and basically anything associated with the club, many feel that we should be competing with any Russian or Yank for the services of the world’s best. I do believe that as a club we have had the most ridiculous bad run of luck for the best part of two seasons with injuries. With the ever injured Thomas Rosicky and the absence of Walcott, Gallas, Fabregas, Sagna and Adebayor for chunks of this season, it has been hard for the team to get a rhythm. I have to say with this in mind we have done fairly well. It is hard to say that a United team without Ronaldo, Vidic, Carrick, Evra and Rooney would have survived, when we have seen how their season almost collapsed with only Ferdinand missing from the pitch. There is also the argument that with these players to come back from injury, where would a new player fit into our system. Injuries however are inevitable and need to be pre-empted before your season can come to an early close.

I have to say that the summer months are the most frustrating as an Arsenal supporter. We saw three integral players of the team walk in Hleb, Flamini and Gilberto. In turn we signed three players, two of which were not replacements. We were looking forwards, and not having to wait long at all, in seeing the talents of our new signing Samir Nasri, Hleb’s successor. It seemed the chase for his signature was justified. We also saw the arrival of Aaron Ramsey at the E******s. Apart from the pleasure I felt from nicking this young talent from the greedy clasps of Alex Ferguson, we all knew that this was one for the future. We also signed Mikael Silvestre. This signing was one that haunted me as I cannot understand the logic of allowing Gilberto Silva to leave in the same summer, not renewing contracts for legends like Pires and Viera because they are over 30 years of age, and then signing a centre back from one of our fiercest rivals as he cannot get into their team. I was under the assumption that we were to be competing with them?

I do believe in Wenger’s policy, and am extremely proud that as a club we do not just go and buy anybody who’s available at the time. We leave that sort of behaviour to a circus of a club down the road, who buy your Darren Bents and David Bentleys for extortionate fees and they end up playing against the Arsenal under 21’s, like Bentley did about two weeks ago. I also love the fact that we are self-sufficient. Do not kid yourselves, all the stick we currently get for not having won anything for four years would be far worse with foreign ownership. I also believe that Arsene Wenger is the best thing to happen in the history of Arsenal football club. Even with this, many feel we should be competing for at least the Gareth Barry’s of this world, to win us titles. As a club we should be looking to win all four trophies and without additions of more quality players, we may be a little short squad wise. It seems unlikely, however, that even with the backing of a sugar daddy that Wenger will change his policy and fork out the big bucks. My advice is to turn off Sky Sports News over the summer months, stop using YouTube as a reliable source of scouting new talent, and hope that Hansen’s ‘You Can’t Win Anything With Kids’ policy is proved wrong once again.