Finally, it’s done. The endless flow of rumors, denials and heartbreaks is over. There is now almost a profound silence, and the debates about whether the squad is good enough or not have begun. There was a massive sense of relief and a collective belief that was evident immediately after the window had closed and the Benayoun and Arteta signings had been confirmed. The happiness on Twitter was evident. As for myself, I cut a lone figure with all the negativity I was spewing forth. Somehow, all our deadline day activity and announcement of signings did not set my pulse racing.
Here is a summary of our dealings:
IN:
Mikel Arteta
Per Mertesacker
Andre Santos
Park Chu Young
Gervinho
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Carl Jenkinson
Joel Campbell
Jon Miquel Toral Harper
Kristoffer Olsson
Serge Gnarby
Leander Siemann
Hector Bellerin
Yossi Benayoun (loan)
OUT:
Cesc Fabregas
Samir Nasri
Gael Clichy
Emmanuel Eboue
Armand Traore
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Giles Sunu
Jamie Edge
Raorie Deacon
Mark Randall
Nicklas Bendtner (loan)
Carlos Vela (loan)
Denilson (loan)
Wellington (loan)
Kyle Bartley (loan)
Joel Campbell (loan)
Henri Lansbury (loan)
Pedro Botelho (loan)
Samuel Galindo (laon)
James Shea (loan)
Our net transfer earning, without add-ons, according to Arsenal Report is +£12,388,200, with the add-ons being worth around £6,000,000.
So we have had a net selling summer, and bear in mind we had £35 million at the very least to spend before the window began. That means, when the add-ons come flooding in, we will have about £55 million sitting in the bank, and that is a conservative estimate. One must also remember that that with the Fabregas and Nasri sales, we have cleared up about £10 million pounds a year in terms of wages. Getting rid of Nicky B’s £2.5 million a year also helps. We have had players come in, but I doubt they are on wages high enough to "cover" the profit.
When the transfer window started, we all agreed that we needed numbers, that our first choice eleven were great – hell, we even beat Barcelona when we were at full strength – but that our reserves were just not performing. We had to cut the dross, and add some players who would perform when called up. Amid all this, the first departure was Gael Clichy – an experienced left back, albeit with little or no positional sense and a penchant for leaving his brains behind in big matches, but a solid one none-the-less. He was great at tracking back, and did ok even with the defensively astute Arshavin playing in front of him on the flank. He was also the last of the Invincibles. I wasn’t so bummed at him leaving. He was very replaceable. What I didn’t know was that we would take literally all summer to replace him, sell another of our left backs, and almost leave it all to the excellent, but young and injury prone Keiran Gibbs.
Anyway, I don’t want to make this post a summary of our transfer dealings. That much is well documented. However, the fact is that our expectations at the end of last season, at the beginning of the window, were not quite fulfilled. The collapse after the Carling Cup was amazing, and we lacked quality throughout the squad.
That is where the two faced nature of our transfer dealings comes in. On the one hand we have successfully cut the dross and replaced the fringe players with quality. Park, Santos, Benayoun and Gervinho (who is more a direct replacement for Nasri) do just that. Per Mertesacker is the towering figure in central defense we have been begging for. I believe it is a straight fight between him and Koscielny as to who starts alongside Vermaelen. I would give the edge to the German, but he needs time to settle and so I expect Koscielny to be first choice for a little while at least. On the other hand, our quality in midfield has taken a major hit, and for a team that relies on its fast and slick passing, that is indeed something to worry about.
The emphasis in our play this season has been on wing play. So much so that it has been startlingly predictable. What is more, it has been extremely ineffective. We have had no quality at all in central midfield, with Ramsay going through a loss in form and Song and Frimpong being suspended. Mikel Arteta could do a lot to address that problem. He is a good passer of the ball, takes an amazing free kick, and one would like to believe he will fit right in. What is more, he looked just right in the recent photo shoot in the red and white – that is all that matters, right? And if that doesn’t convince you, I would suggest Googling Mrs. Arteta.
People are talking right now about how we have “saved” the transfer window disaster by our deadline day antics. While I do believe in that statement somewhat, the transfer window has been nothing but a disaster when looked at with objectivity. Our first choice eleven, at least in midfield is much weaker that last season’s. Instead of Cesc and Nasri, we have Arteta and Gervinho. They are quality, mind, but the Cesc shaped hole at the club will take some time to be filled.
I declared our transfer window to be a failure around the first week of August, where we hadn’t sold Cesc and Nasri, and hadn’t got anyone in to replace them. We had missed out on Juan Mata just because we stalled, and weren’t making any progress on signing a certain Gary Cahill.
I do admire the way deadline day was handled. Mikel Arteta at 10m does seem to be a steal, and Yossi Benayoun on loan might be a great addition if he is fit for the majority of the season. All in all, though, the harsh reality is that this squad barely equips us to fight for fourth. As John Cross of the Mirror put it, we will have the fight of our lives against Liverpool for that fourth spot.
It is hard to believe that, since the proud gooner in me refuses to accept that we are a club who should be fighting for fourth. We should be fighting for the title, and we aren’t only because of extremely poor management. Deals for players weren't tied up on time, we were undecided on our two main players, both of which left anyway and we are tied to embarrassing long term deals which lose us up to $70m a year. For a self sustaining club, that is just not good enough. Even without those commercial deals, we had £35m in the TPA to spend – why didn’t we?
Yes, in the last week of the transfer window we tabled impressive bids – about £30-35m for Goetze, £20m for Yann M’vila and £25m for Eden Hazard, and even a loan bid for Yohann Gourcuff. But who in their right mind will sell their star player without enough time to replace? For the record, it has been reported that we will go back in for Hazard in January, and Gary Cahill would cost a lot less too in the winter. So all is probably not lost there.
While I am really excited to see Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker take the field, I do think that the former is something of a stopgap. He did take a pay cut to join Arsenal, and is 29, so he will be very committed to the cause and show the world what he is made of. He is on the fringes of the Spain squad too for good measure. There is no doubt that all of our signings will give their all for the club, and they are great value buys.
Fourth place, however, is not good enough for me, and yet considering our current situation would be a dream. The money was there, and we didn’t touch it. That is what is frustrating. However, Swansea is a good game to ease the signings in, and I would love to see that happen. Here’s hoping that the team gels real quick, and as Benik Afobe put it, “get our first win”.
In other news, UEFA have continued and judicious and objective assessment of football related crimes by upholding Wenger’s two game ban in the Champion’s League. Next time, Le Prof must surely resign to eye poking, obviously the less risky course to take. We have been handed a €10,000 fine too, just to ensure we never make the mistake of confirming with UEFA before hand to perform this vile act again. Way to go, UEFA!
The Barcelona vice president, Josep Bartomeu, has also decided it is time to rub it in, and has stated that they knew all along that Fabregas was worth at least double what they paid for him. Really?
Jack Wilshere has confirmed that he will indeed be out for two to three months, and when you put injuries and Arsenal together, that figure is likely to be closer to three months. So overall, its been a great few days to be an Arsenal fan, with bad news pouring in from everywhere.
Don’t despair, though, because when we see Mrs. Arteta take her place come Saturday evening, the pain will, most assuredly, magically vanish.
So here's to the new Arsenal! May this squad tear apart defenses and score the goals we all deserve to see! Up the Arsenal!
Follow me on Twitter @goonernish
Here is a summary of our dealings:
IN:
Mikel Arteta
Per Mertesacker
Andre Santos
Park Chu Young
Gervinho
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Carl Jenkinson
Joel Campbell
Jon Miquel Toral Harper
Kristoffer Olsson
Serge Gnarby
Leander Siemann
Hector Bellerin
Yossi Benayoun (loan)
OUT:
Cesc Fabregas
Samir Nasri
Gael Clichy
Emmanuel Eboue
Armand Traore
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Giles Sunu
Jamie Edge
Raorie Deacon
Mark Randall
Nicklas Bendtner (loan)
Carlos Vela (loan)
Denilson (loan)
Wellington (loan)
Kyle Bartley (loan)
Joel Campbell (loan)
Henri Lansbury (loan)
Pedro Botelho (loan)
Samuel Galindo (laon)
James Shea (loan)
Our net transfer earning, without add-ons, according to Arsenal Report is +£12,388,200, with the add-ons being worth around £6,000,000.
So we have had a net selling summer, and bear in mind we had £35 million at the very least to spend before the window began. That means, when the add-ons come flooding in, we will have about £55 million sitting in the bank, and that is a conservative estimate. One must also remember that that with the Fabregas and Nasri sales, we have cleared up about £10 million pounds a year in terms of wages. Getting rid of Nicky B’s £2.5 million a year also helps. We have had players come in, but I doubt they are on wages high enough to "cover" the profit.
When the transfer window started, we all agreed that we needed numbers, that our first choice eleven were great – hell, we even beat Barcelona when we were at full strength – but that our reserves were just not performing. We had to cut the dross, and add some players who would perform when called up. Amid all this, the first departure was Gael Clichy – an experienced left back, albeit with little or no positional sense and a penchant for leaving his brains behind in big matches, but a solid one none-the-less. He was great at tracking back, and did ok even with the defensively astute Arshavin playing in front of him on the flank. He was also the last of the Invincibles. I wasn’t so bummed at him leaving. He was very replaceable. What I didn’t know was that we would take literally all summer to replace him, sell another of our left backs, and almost leave it all to the excellent, but young and injury prone Keiran Gibbs.
Anyway, I don’t want to make this post a summary of our transfer dealings. That much is well documented. However, the fact is that our expectations at the end of last season, at the beginning of the window, were not quite fulfilled. The collapse after the Carling Cup was amazing, and we lacked quality throughout the squad.
That is where the two faced nature of our transfer dealings comes in. On the one hand we have successfully cut the dross and replaced the fringe players with quality. Park, Santos, Benayoun and Gervinho (who is more a direct replacement for Nasri) do just that. Per Mertesacker is the towering figure in central defense we have been begging for. I believe it is a straight fight between him and Koscielny as to who starts alongside Vermaelen. I would give the edge to the German, but he needs time to settle and so I expect Koscielny to be first choice for a little while at least. On the other hand, our quality in midfield has taken a major hit, and for a team that relies on its fast and slick passing, that is indeed something to worry about.
The emphasis in our play this season has been on wing play. So much so that it has been startlingly predictable. What is more, it has been extremely ineffective. We have had no quality at all in central midfield, with Ramsay going through a loss in form and Song and Frimpong being suspended. Mikel Arteta could do a lot to address that problem. He is a good passer of the ball, takes an amazing free kick, and one would like to believe he will fit right in. What is more, he looked just right in the recent photo shoot in the red and white – that is all that matters, right? And if that doesn’t convince you, I would suggest Googling Mrs. Arteta.
People are talking right now about how we have “saved” the transfer window disaster by our deadline day antics. While I do believe in that statement somewhat, the transfer window has been nothing but a disaster when looked at with objectivity. Our first choice eleven, at least in midfield is much weaker that last season’s. Instead of Cesc and Nasri, we have Arteta and Gervinho. They are quality, mind, but the Cesc shaped hole at the club will take some time to be filled.
I declared our transfer window to be a failure around the first week of August, where we hadn’t sold Cesc and Nasri, and hadn’t got anyone in to replace them. We had missed out on Juan Mata just because we stalled, and weren’t making any progress on signing a certain Gary Cahill.
I do admire the way deadline day was handled. Mikel Arteta at 10m does seem to be a steal, and Yossi Benayoun on loan might be a great addition if he is fit for the majority of the season. All in all, though, the harsh reality is that this squad barely equips us to fight for fourth. As John Cross of the Mirror put it, we will have the fight of our lives against Liverpool for that fourth spot.
It is hard to believe that, since the proud gooner in me refuses to accept that we are a club who should be fighting for fourth. We should be fighting for the title, and we aren’t only because of extremely poor management. Deals for players weren't tied up on time, we were undecided on our two main players, both of which left anyway and we are tied to embarrassing long term deals which lose us up to $70m a year. For a self sustaining club, that is just not good enough. Even without those commercial deals, we had £35m in the TPA to spend – why didn’t we?
Yes, in the last week of the transfer window we tabled impressive bids – about £30-35m for Goetze, £20m for Yann M’vila and £25m for Eden Hazard, and even a loan bid for Yohann Gourcuff. But who in their right mind will sell their star player without enough time to replace? For the record, it has been reported that we will go back in for Hazard in January, and Gary Cahill would cost a lot less too in the winter. So all is probably not lost there.
While I am really excited to see Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker take the field, I do think that the former is something of a stopgap. He did take a pay cut to join Arsenal, and is 29, so he will be very committed to the cause and show the world what he is made of. He is on the fringes of the Spain squad too for good measure. There is no doubt that all of our signings will give their all for the club, and they are great value buys.
Fourth place, however, is not good enough for me, and yet considering our current situation would be a dream. The money was there, and we didn’t touch it. That is what is frustrating. However, Swansea is a good game to ease the signings in, and I would love to see that happen. Here’s hoping that the team gels real quick, and as Benik Afobe put it, “get our first win”.
In other news, UEFA have continued and judicious and objective assessment of football related crimes by upholding Wenger’s two game ban in the Champion’s League. Next time, Le Prof must surely resign to eye poking, obviously the less risky course to take. We have been handed a €10,000 fine too, just to ensure we never make the mistake of confirming with UEFA before hand to perform this vile act again. Way to go, UEFA!
The Barcelona vice president, Josep Bartomeu, has also decided it is time to rub it in, and has stated that they knew all along that Fabregas was worth at least double what they paid for him. Really?
Jack Wilshere has confirmed that he will indeed be out for two to three months, and when you put injuries and Arsenal together, that figure is likely to be closer to three months. So overall, its been a great few days to be an Arsenal fan, with bad news pouring in from everywhere.
Don’t despair, though, because when we see Mrs. Arteta take her place come Saturday evening, the pain will, most assuredly, magically vanish.
So here's to the new Arsenal! May this squad tear apart defenses and score the goals we all deserve to see! Up the Arsenal!
Follow me on Twitter @goonernish
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