Mark Colwill
Since transfer deadline day and in the weeks leading up to it I have seen many fans give their opinion of who and what we should have bought in the transfer window. Although I agree with a lot of the opinions I just wanted to give my view on why it is not as obvious as it seems. I have written this to try and put into words what I think has happened and the reasons for it. Think of it this way, this article is not giving reasons for why we do not need extra players rather why we did not get extra players in the recent window.
I will start with the goalkeeping. The general feeling of fans is that we should buy a relatively experienced keeper to provide a consistent and reliable service. Not a replacement for Szczesny but one that will keep him on his toes and is a reliable replacement when needed. A few names were mentioned but one of the most popular was Julio Cesar. His first season at QPR ended in relegation and throughout the season was subjected to intense attacking displays, which meant he had a great many shots to save. Although this may have looked good on the surface, he still made a number of mistakes. The problem with goalkeepers is, when they have a shot to save every five minutes they will be able to save the majority and look good. However when they have nothing to do for half an hour they become complacent and sloppy which results in mistakes. This can be seen in keepers such as Joe Hart who might be a brilliant shot stopper but is prone to errors. My point is that although Cesar might look good because of the goalkeeping displays at bottom of the league QPR, it is very different for the goalkeeper at the top clubs. I am not saying Cesar would not have been a success, he is a good keeper, I am just saying at Arsenal he might not have been the success people would have expected him to be.
Throughout the whole of last season, Arsenal lost one game with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny at the back together (Bayern Munich at home 1-3). I could spend all day telling you how important Mertesacker is to Arsenal with his calmness and being the first stage of attacks. Although Mertesacker lacks pace he is a very good centre back and his partnership with Koscielny (who according to Arsenal fans is our best defender) is obviously very effective. Thomas Vermaelen, who in my opinion was the weak link in the team for much of last season, is still a very good player and can do a good job when called upon.
Our full backs are the positions that most people are happy with. Jenkinson, Sagna, Gibbs and Monreal are all very talented individuals and all are reliable enough to play at this level. Many supporters have said Arsenal ‘need’ another central defender. Although ideally another player in any position would be nice I do not agree that we ‘need’ another. We have three quality international class central defenders that can be rotated. One of them (Vermaelen) is injured admittedly but a manager must construct a team for when all the players are available. We also have Bacary Sagna whom can move over to the middle to provide a service if two of the three defenders are injured/suspended. He is yet to be tested by one of the big clubs but the signs are very promising in my opinion.
That is seven defenders: two right backs Jenkinson and Sagna (Sagna can slot into centre back), three centre backs Mertesacker, Koscielny and Vermaelen and two left backs Gibbs and Monreal. You might be surprised to hear that Chelsea has exactly the same: Two right backs Azpilicueta and Ivanovic (Ivanovic can slot into centre back) three centre backs Luiz, Cahill and Terry and two left backs Cole and Bertrand. Yet nobody has said Chelsea need defensive improvement? My final point on this is: would we find a centre back as good as the ones we have got but willing to be fourth choice? Kolo Toure was mentioned, if Wenger had got him he would be ridiculed for getting another ‘free’ player.
Some have also said we need a defensive midfielder, a Patrick Vieira type player that will not take any nonsense in the midfield and will protect the defense. A case for this sort of player was shouted even louder when Özil arrived because he was another player who likes to pass it around. “He’s good but can he handle a rainy night in Stoke?” Fellaini and Wanayama were two of the players mentioned. Personally I did not want Fellaini to come to Arsenal, the reason is as follows. Buying Fellaini would be like fixing tractor wheels to a sports car to make it better off road (not a great analogy but I am rushed for time and cannot think of better one quickly). This is because what makes Arsenal a team that people are scared of is not the pace and power of Manchester United or the physicality of Stoke but the passing and movement that players like Wilshere, Ramsey, Arteta, Rosicky, Cazorla and now Özil possess.
To stick Fellaini in the middle would improve Arsenal in one area but then completely downgrade the area that makes Arsenal stand out. Like fixing tractor wheels to a sports car would improve it off road but would make it far worse on a racetrack. For example what would you rather see? A front 6 of Wilshere, Ramsey, Walcott, Özil, Cazorla and Giroud or Fellaini, Wilshere, Ramsey, Walcott, Cazorla and Giroud? I do not doubt that Fellaini would have improved our attacking and defending at set pieces or protecting the back four more effectively than Arteta, Ramsey or Flamini. I just think he is an unnecessary attachment that would worsen the team overall. You might disagree there but that is just my opinion. Ramsey, Wilshere, Arteta and Flamini can all fill the two holding roles providing decent defensive cover as well as excellent attacking intent. Gustavo was not signed because Wenger could not promise him first team football (among other reasons). When everyone is available how are we going to fit Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Cazorla, Özil, Walcott, Podolski and Giroud in the team, arguably all deserve first team football yet there are not enough spaces to fill.
Apparently we bid for Mascherano on deadline day. Whether we did or not, he is the sort of player that can play at centre back and defensive midfield, he is also very good on the ball and would not be like tractor wheels on a sports car.
I hope that this explanation has gone a little way to giving you my view on things. Although I would love to see new faces at Arsenal just as much as you, I think that there are valid reasons as to why we have not added to the squad. I have not explained why we do not need a striker, because in my opinion, we do need a striker. We were close to getting Ba on deadline day, which would have been good on loan. I would welcome a new centre back and defensive midfielder in January but do we desperately need them to win trophies? In my opinion, no.
