Another transfer window gone by and another chance lost at addressing the problems of the Arsenal squad. Arsene Wenger may have different opinions and reasons for choosing not to sign specific players but the truth is that Arsene tried his hardest to acquire an exceptional hitman, according to Thierry Henry..
Other than Petr Cech who joined very early in the window, there is no signing to talk about at the club. Factor this – Arsenal is the only club in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga or Ligue 1 to not sign an outfield player. Sounds familiar?
But club legend Henry has come to the rescue of Wenger and has strongly defended his former manager. More notably, he defended the failure of signing Karim Benzema or Edinson Cavani this summer.
The club was linked to Real Madrid striker Benzema through the window. There were many reports that spoke of the deal being close, the player being happy to pursue a move but nothing moved on that front. Henry even mentioned that signing Benzema could be the last piece of the jigsaw for Wenger.
Eventually, Benzema refuted the rumours and dismissed any suggestions of his movement away from Madrid. Player transfers are a very sensitive issue and unless the two clubs and the player find out a common ground, it is difficult to find a solution.
Clinching the transfer of a player who is very happy at his current club is a difficult proposition. And Henry says this is the reason why Wenger couldn’t sign either Benzema or Cavani, but he is certain that Le Prof tried his best.
Henry says that it is not for lack of intent that Arsenal couldn’t land up any strikers. Rather, it is because of the difficulty of prising these players away from their respective clubs, although he agrees that there were areas that needed strengthening.
Arsenal did not start the season brightly, as was expected in many quarters at the club. They are already five points behind Manchester City who turned out to be the early runners. The lack of goals from Giroud has already seen him lose the position to Walcott.
The disappointment in the fans on lack of transfer activity is palpable. Striker is a real problem area for some years now and not being able to sign anyone is a concern. Will this stop the Gunners from mounting a serious title challenge? Only time will tell.
Listen to Henry’s words here……