Friday 31 August 2012

Transfer Window D-Day |

There is something terribly, terribly wrong with the way we handle business at Arsenal. It's deadline day today and we are scrambling around the floors of the market with the hope of picking up crumbs and bargains after letting two of our best players go -just like we did last summer. It's deadline day and we are still fooling around with Theo Walcott and his contract extension.


How on earth does an average player hold a club of Arsenal's pedigree hostage. In the final year of your contract and you make extraordinary demands? How on earth are you worth $75k/week? Come on sell the speedster, AW. You've let better men than him go so what the heck. You want to risk losing him on a free next summer?

With the way we set off at the beginning of the transfer window with two fast signings and Cazorla much later, you'd think by today, we'll be a bit more relaxed as we watch others run around anxiously. But the exit of RVP and Song as well as previously existing needs have ensured that we'll have an eye on the clock as it draws nearer to 11pm tonight.

I am usually slow to criticize AW and those who make the decisions on these things at Arsenal because I do not have all the information they have at their disposal to make the decisions they do. Like most people, I depend on the news sites and of course the results of the decisions that were made to make my deductions.

We've gotten away with poor mouthing for long enough and we are in no way near being a poor club. I've seen clubs with much less financial muscle stand up to the big guns when the big guns show interest in their best players. When that happens with us, the result is predictable. We sell and make a profit. We allow ourselves to be bullied into submission by clubs with more financial muscles as well as allow players push us over when they want out even when they have long term contracts.

I'm not saying we should splurge like the Russian mafia nor the petrol oligarchs but we can do a better job of managing player contracts in such a way that our best players are not lost to the big guns season after season -two or three at a time in some cases. This negates whatever progress may have been made the previous season and destabilizes the team as the current situation shows. The core of the team have been sold off and the new team has failed to find the net in the first two games of the season. We can and really should do better.

A loan move for Michael Essien  seems to be the best we can do for the now ubiquitous DM role that has become the hobby horse of fans and pundits alike. It's been generally accepted that the role needs filling since Song's exit. If it does happen before 11pm tonight, it's one I'll welcome gladly. Some people think he's a spent force but I think he's a brave heart and Wenger may yet get the best out of him again. A loan move will solve the short term problem until Jack is fully fit.

Bendtner has completed a loan move to Juventus and it does look like they are really glad to have him judging by the Juventus chief's welcome. It will certainly boost his already bloated ego.
Park has completed a loan move to Celta Vigo while there are contradictory reports about Chamakh and his move to Malaga. With Malaga's acquisition of Roque Santa Cruz and Saviola, it's looking unlikely that they will pursue Chamakh further. Really hope something happens for him before 11pm tonight. His moving on as well as Bendtner's move means we really are in need of a 3rd striiker. What's AW up to?

The European Champions League group stage draws were held yesterday and look who we got.
It's nowhere near being the group of death but I am unwilling to think it will be a ride in the park as well after all this is Europe. Saw Manchester United go that route last term and I like to learn from the experience of others. We certainly will do well not to take our opponents lightly at all.

It will be a quick reunion for Giroud and his old club, Montpellier. Won't expect him to celebrate when he scores but will definitely expect him to score.

The rest of the pairings are shown below.

Hopefully by tomorrow we'll have something to cheer about but I won't be holding my breadth. Let's have your thoughts in the comments section below...


4 comments:

  1. Wenger is so fooking tight fisted. he aint buying anything worth talking about before midnight. mark me words

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  2. ESSIEN! IS THAT THE BEST WE CAN DO? AN INJURY RAVAGED 40-SOMETHING YEAR MAN?

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  3. Come on@Yandi. Essien is just about 39 years old

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  4. its a dog eat dog world and Arsenal as a club hasnt come to terms with that fact yet.

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What do you think?

Naija End Gooner