What AFC will ACTUALLY do in the transfer market by Gooner100
I’ve read the comments and suffered the highs and lows. We’re buying Benzema, we’re buying Cavani, we’re buying Schneiderlin blah blah blah. It starts out as exciting, becomes annoying – and finishes as depressing.
It never happens. Wenger never does what is ‘demanded’ and Wenger never, ever, tells anyone what he plans. AFC fans are the worst for getting sucked into press speculation and believing it. Many desperately want another striker or another DM but in my view, it just won’t happen.
Amateurish internet journalists, Twitter users and others who have few if any real connections within the game constantly speculate. Every day for the past two months we’ve been linked with one player or another. ‘Experts’ like Muzzi Ozcan, Emanuele Guilianelli offer scoops about our imminent arrivals but are most likely just seeking publicity and playing on the fire and publicity that it creates within the very vocal AFC fanbase. Usually the comments are so vague that if we did actually buy someone, they’d all say they told you so. It’s utter rubbish.
Take a look at our squad. I don’t think it takes much to see why these rumours of a CF or DM are never going to happen.
In CM roles we have Cazorla (starter in most people’s eyes), and Coquelin (the same). Then there is Ramsey, Wilshere, Arteta and Flamini all fighting for one or two places. That excludes both Chambers and even Bielik who could conceivably play in the same role. Whilst few are DM’s, Wenger has never allowed players ‘natural’ positions to constrain his plans, so in Wengers eyes options to ‘provide cover’ for Coquelin or replace Santi are many. My conclusion is unless we lost at least two of these (and Flamini seems like he intends to go nowhere, and Arteta has another year) then Wenger will simply not buy another DM this time around.
Up front we have Giroud, Walcott, Sanchez and Welbeck to fill three positions. Akpom could be brought back if needed. Given that we all know what Walcott wants, that Welbeck also prefers the central role and that Giroud is the established CF, I can’t see any out and out CF solution that Wenger would consider. We still also have Campbell and Silva who don’t seem to cut it for Wenger but are still here.
However even AW must worry about the squad depth in certain positions. In the strikers roles we have several pretty consistent injury problems. Walcott, the Ox, now Welbeck. If Wenger doesn’t buy into Campbell or Silva (and even allowing for the fact that Wenger is prepared to play Ramsey) we have possible issues.
So for me, the only conclusion to draw is that any likely new face at AFC will be a winger-cum-striker.
Wenger likes flexibility, he likes the front three to be able to rotate. He does not want to compromise the squad morale or belief. He must also see the risks with these key players in terms of injury and their history. The only option that ticks a box for us (would strengthen the squad offensively) but doesn’t put a roadblock in front of Theo’s dream, Welbeck’s preference and Giroud’s career, is that we buy someone like Reus, Gotze, Griezmann, Pedro or Draxler. Who would be best, who we are prepared to pay the price for, and whether they would want to come to AFC is another matter.
All of these players (and a few others like them) can play across the front, improve our options in all attacking areas, redress injury worries with any of the front players and would ‘fit in’ without being a direct threat to any one player.
So, in my humble opinion, sometime in the next 10 days, we are most likely to see one (hopefully marquee) arrival, like the names above. Apart from that, I think AW will stick with the squad we have.
What do you think Gooners?