It is being reported today that Arsenal will be looking to sign as many as six new players in the summer transfer window and while on the face of it that may seem like good news, it may not necessarily be the best thing to do.
We can all name at least six players that we want to sell but we are not the only club that thinks like that, speak to a Tottenham fan or a Man Utd fan or even a Man City fan and they can name six players that they want to be sold as well.
Bringing in six new players can really unsettle things and some will argue that is what we need to do but at what price?
Would we be prepared to sacrifice another season so that all these new players can integrate into the team because it will not happen overnight?
Then you have to assume that all six new players will not be successful, I have yet to come across any team that has brought in a high influx of players and every single one works out.
Then there is what position needs strengthening.
The six new players story has originated with BBC reporter David Ornstein and while he is closely associated with Arsenal football club it is still his opinion and is not necessarily club policy and if you narrow down his comments it kind of goes from six new signings to two priority signings.
“There is interest in bringing in a left back and possibly a right back, but again those are secondary to the centre-half and box to box midfielder.” Ornstein said
Now that I do agree with, we do need a centre half and a box to box midfielder and all the other so-called required signings are secondary.
As an example, Ornstein says this about Eddie Nketiah
“As a sort of secondary brief they’d be looking for a wide forward and in January came close to a deal for Ivan Perisic, and had interest in Yannick Carrasco. Possibly a centre-forward with Danny Welbeck leaving, and Eddie Nketiah would go on loan if they did bring a centre-forward in.
Really? Send Nketiah out on loan?
Why would we do that, why not give him a proper run in the team, why do we always have to go and buy established stars and ignore our youth, especially when we already have two world-class forwards.
I agree we need new signings but I do not agree we need wholesale changes and I would rather see a couple of expensive world class signings complimented by promotion from the youth academy.
Same sort of thing Jurgen Klopp did last summer with Liverpool and look how that has worked out.