In Debt, or in Depth? by John Picco
As the current season has progressed I’ve found myself pleasantly surprised with the results and the push for the top 4 position that I’ve seen, especially in spite of the real lack of true quality being purchased and brought into the fold!
The latest transfer window passed and we really did see the paving of the way to bringing in sensational talent. We shed many salaries that were never going to see playing time, and lightened the load on the books, to the point where even a Kroenke may offer the slightest of nods to or perhaps even a wink of approval for.
For a while it even became exciting with the potential incoming names floating around. Isak ,Vlahovic, and more! Are they worth the dollar figures being discussed? Likely not. Were they exciting possible additions? It certainly fired me up with the trajectory we were on!!
Yet despite all of that a glaring hole has formed in the depth chart. In clearing debt we’ve cleared depth, and boy was that on display in the 3 outings prior to the Chelsea victory. Truthfully, I find myself flip flopping between what is the right approach. Top 4 and beyond is the goal! And we are right there to take it! Yet a little of that sold off depth would have surely added some solidity to our chances. We could then have a nervous game from Nuno, see a wing back injury through, or deal with a bout of COVID.
Yet that may very well be the blockade that we look back on and bemoan as the cause of our inability to cross the line we sorely want to cross. It is a fine line between appeasing the business side and the squad depth, and we may have been a little too business-minded and a little less game-prepared in this case.
Time will tell if the heart and soul of this young squad finds another gear to get us through, yet my nervous energy grows in each and every match that has a missing first team member on the sidelines. I’d take a little depth over reducing our debt right about now..
John Picco
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Yes I think they did. I still think it was the best option. If you can’t loan any player or a good fit then no transactions. I think they will pull through abd get fourth. If not fifth or sixth was their target I believe. This is a good team to build up on
Only in late May will we really know.
20 players was a risk but the players they sent out Aubameyang Chambers Niles Balogun Mari Kolasinac were not contributing. Because of the bad market we can not give away the likes of Mavropanos Bellerin Torreira +Nelson. Only Saliba is worth chasing. Up untill the Jan window opened we had been performing so well so there was no need to buy anyone. Even now despite 3 injures we are 4th = So because of the one game a week schedule and having spent huge since Wenger left we just had to tighten our belt and get on with it. Losing to Forest in the FA Cup 3rd round helped tho.
Financial stability seems more important to Kroenke for Arsenal’s future success, hence the cost-cutting. We couldn’t get Vlahovic, so might as well wait for another high quality CF with similar calibre in the summer
The decision is costly for our top four aspiration, but there’s still time to fix it
How can it be positive to go into the post January business with such a thin squad? 4th place was there for the taking….but now the Spuds are 50/50 with us. To lose those three consecutive games was disastrous. I will be overjoyed to get fourth but to lose to mid level teams, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton does not bode well (shameful), always tactical and player mistakes. It was obvious we would get some injuries…..and we have NO consistent strikers. We live in hope but that’s all it is. Hopefully the Old Gods don’t like the Spuds. The Spuds definitely don’t deserve to be in the CL but Conte is a powerful driving force, I hope Arteta can drive us as strongly.
Whatever we did, it was planned, so it is what it is.
Yes, effectively! Arsenal have done credibly well to save cost with their last cost-cutting that they’ve done in the last January transfer window.
This followed after they reportedly had spent £140m on six new incomings transfer last summer window. A massive spendings on six new incomings transfer which couldn’t be sustained in the last January transfer window with another massive spending to sign-in the likes of the Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo from Juve. Or Bruno Guimaraes from a top Ligue 1 club side. Which saw Arsenal went prudent in spendings when they refused to sign the ineffective striker in goals scoring Isak from Real Sociedad. So as to pacify us Gooners for their missing on the purported world class striker Vlahovic’s signing last January window.
But now that Arteta has been justified in his keeping Eddie Nkethia who opened his EPL account this season when he scored a brace for Arsenal at away against Chelsea. But Arteta had refused to sell him to Crystal Palace for £10m in the last two transfer window. But will Edu and Arteta be able to convinced the 22 year old Arsenal Hale End graduate Nkethia to sign a new contract with Arsenal to remain at the club? More especially if he start against Man Utd at the Ems today and performed very well by scoring goals again and gives assists to help Arsenal beat Man Utd?
A very welcome, though sadly rare, balanced article. More of them please John Picco.
Arsenal becoming a serious club again and Arteta is a big part of it.Only the ones they deserve will coming here from now on.
Lets destroy the thieves of Manchester now.
———————Come On You Gunners———————
I think Maitland-Niles should have been retained.
But look we have been banging on for years about deadwood, finally we have 2 men focused on moving those players on, yet now we are asking questions?
We have a 21 man squad, like many others. Even with 2 or 3 injuries, we have still only called on the academy players to be bench warmers.
They have virtually halved the wage bill and we are still in the hunt for our best finish since Wenger’s penultimate season. If it wasn’t for the international break we could even be in 3rd place now with a bit of breathing space.
Bring on West Ham.
Cost cutting went to far in my opinion and this means the player salary was a reason why players were picked or not. It also hints an an inability to handle players in such a situation. Very few managers can do this and when they do, they can become great. I hope that is the case with Arteta but right now selling Auba and freezing out Pepe may have more to do with salary than ability at you cannot say for example Martinelli is better than Pepe.