Miles Rackham
Arsenal fans have always been deprived of signings, however small they may be. For example, Arsenal only signed one player in the 2011/2012 mid-season transfer-window, Thomas Eisfeld, for £400,000. Cazorla is training with the squad, after meeting them on Friday and after completing a medical and signing on for a four-year deal worth up to £70,000 a week. Laws regarding Malaga’s financial situation were blocking the announcement of his arrival, but that has now been confirmed.
Cazorla is naturally a winger, although, as he is extremely versatile, he has ability in the centre of the park. This is something Arsenal may need, with Wilshere and Rosicky being injured, Diaby lacking fitness, Benayoun’s departure and Ramsey’s drop in form towards the end of last season. Also, the African Cup of Nations will come rolling round again, and we may not be so lucky this time with Cameroon failing to qualify and not taking Song away, and there may be fresh injuries, so we need players capable of playing in a central midfield role.
We are also reportedly ironing out the fine details on a season-long loan move for Real Madrid player and former Dortmund star, Nuri Şahin, a player who has been extremely underutilised at Madrid whose natural talent deserves first-team football, which he may get at Arsenal.
Those are two signings almost complete, which would take our total number of signings up to four, after Podolski and Giroud. But Arsenal fans, (for example, me) would still demand more signings, but we can’t just buy any old player. What players would be good signings for Arsenal? And I’m not talking about their talent, I’m talking about what type of player they are.
The first player that comes to mind is Inter Milan veteran, and the most decorated Argentinian player of all time, Esteban Cambiasso. Now, I am not talking about signing a player who is 32 years old this month, but I am talking about his style of play, a Cambiasso-like player.
What I see him doing for Inter Milan, is running non-stop. Firstly, he will become the third centre-back, or cover for an out-of-place full-back. Then he will suddenly pick up the ball, and charge forward, with the ball or without it. He can then slot the ball into a winger or striker ahead of him. If the Inter team have just attacked, and are now having to defend, he stays in the centre of the park, and he is almost a defence by himself in front of the actual defence. If he is beaten, which only happen about four times out of ten, he then tracks back and attempts to win the ball back or position himself in a area where he will win it back.
Wilshere reminds me of his style of play, essentially a box-to-box player, although he is not as strong, and does not have as good an eye for goal as Cambiasso. For example, he scored against Chelsea in the Champions League, and they went on to win it. One problem with this, though, is that Jack is injured, and every day that goes on, and he isn’t back in training, I worry he may never play again.
Song also plays like this, although he is much more defensively minded, but when he comes forward he can give some amazing assists. He finished the season with twelve, some almost winning us the game, for example against Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham, and he provided a great one in the Aston Villa game at the Emirates.
Arteta is also very capable of doing this. He was bred to become a central defensive midfielder, was turned into an attacker at Everton, and was then put back into that more defensive position at Arsenal. He is talented in attack, and can score from distance, like he did against Wigan and Man City.
But Arsenal don’t have anyone trained to be a box-to-box player, one who is as good at defending as he is at attacking. Song is arguably better in defence, and Arteta is better in attack. The reason Arsenal need a player like this is that Premier League players are some of the fittest in the world and run at full-pelt right up to the 90th minute. If we bring on a substitute who can attack and defend from midfield, then, if we are drawing, they can score, and, if we are winning, they can help prevent a goal - something every football team needs, in my opinion.
The next type of player who would fit into Arsenal’s team, possibly the starting line-up, could be a Sergio Ramos. Once again, I am not saying that we should sign Ramos, as we could never match his wages at Madrid, and I personally think that we have a good enough right-back, but that isn’t where I would play him. I would play him on the left. He was talented at centre-back as a young boy, but was told that he was too small to be a centre-back, even though he is six foot, so he was played at right-back and was an obvious talent. During the Euros, all of the Spanish centre-backs were unavailable expect Pique, so Ramos played centre-back and Arbeloa replaced him at right-back. We have versatile players in defence who can play at full-back, but are really centre-backs (Vermaelen and Koscielny), but we don’t have a full-back who can play at centre-back if needed.
This is something I believe Arsenal need, because we still don’t have a full-back who can defend as well as attack. Sagna and Gibbs are not the greatest defensive attackers in the world and Santos is not the greatest defender. A player who has been converted from a centre-back to a right-back has proved that he can defend, but he will also have the innate ability to attack which Sergio Ramos does. Wenger has been playing a system where the wingers sometimes come into the centre of the park, and that means that the full-backs then have to replace them when we are on the attack. Santos does this and can’t get back well enough, and Sagna gives good assists but can’t score.
After the purchase of Giroud, and - hopefully - van Persie staying after hearing the news of Cazorla’s purchase, and hopefully Şahin’s arrival this week, Wenger may now play the team in a different formation from last season’s 4-3-3. A 4-2-2-2 may be a better approach, and, if the wingers cut into the middle, then the full-backs are going to have to replace them as I have said. We need a Ramos-like player as he has been proven to be able to score goals and his Euro 2012 performances quietened anyone who claimed he couldn’t defend, and as Arsenal need a player like that in both full-back positions.
But really, who knows what Wenger is plotting in his head? Maybe he will buy Cambiasso or Ramos, or maybe even Heskey?! Let’s just wait and see. The summer window is a long way from closed.
