There was a time Arsenal had Gervinho, Sebastien Squillaci, Marouane Chamakh and Denilson.
It is not exactly a long time ago. But in four years, Arsene Wenger has brought in Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech. These are all game changers. Not a bunch of nobodies you need to look up on YouTube.
Cech’s move to the Emirates is particularly significant in many ways. Wenger has not had a world-class goalkeeper since David Seaman – who he inherited from George Graham. As a matter of fact, a lot of pundits think it has been the Frenchman’s blind spot for years now.
Cech brings experience, authority and a winning spirit to Arsenal’s dressing room.
Goalkeepers win you points. In Alan Hansen’s opinion, it could be worth 12 points a season. Sir Alex Ferguson called it around the 15 mark. For Brian Clough, it went as high as 18. The common denominator cannot be over-emphasized – you need a dependable pair of hands in a successful team.
Arsenal won the FA Cup for the second successive time this year and next year, they have their eyes firmly on the Premier League title.
In trying to wrestle it from Chelsea, they have landed the man who was between the sticks, for most of the Blues’ success in the Premier League era.
Wenger must not stop there. He needs to bring in an expert defensive midfielder. A player that can play with or replace Francis Coquelin in the team.
There will be injuries and there will be loss of form. There will be games that will require a solid defensive block. Like we saw sometimes with Chelsea. Jose Mourinho started or ended some games with Nemanja Matic, along with either John Mikel Obi or Kurt Zouma in front of the back four.
Morgan Schneiderlin and Geoffrey Kondogbia (now at Inter Milan) are apparently off Wenger’s list. But there are whispers that he is eyeing William Carvalho. The Portugal international has good physique and is a no-nonsense tackler.
Along with a midfield enforcer, Wenger must get a goal scorer. Olivier Giroud is not a bad striker, but despite having another good season, the former Montpellier man did have his off days. The Champions League second round game against Monaco readily comes to mind. And more upsetting, is the fact that he went on a barren streak, because Thierry Henry criticized him on TV.
Arsenal have the best creative players in England and they will always work their little triangles and create a lot of chances. They need a man who can put them away. Jackson Martinez did everything but go on a strike to end up at North London, but Wenger ignored him. However, Alexandre Lacazette is still available, as are a few other decent finishers.
Every other season, the Gunners always look desperately short of one or two players. This is not the summer to dither. Wenger must go all out.
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