What Arsene Wenger Must Do To Make This A Successful Transfer Window

The close of the football season now a burning ember, transfer rumours are now consuming sporting debate as we approach the opening of the Summer window, with the majority of top clubs looking to strengthen with players from across the continent.

FA Cup victors for a second successive campaign, Arsenal in particular seem to have aspirations higher than ever and a whole host of names have been linked to the North-London club over the last few weeks. After witnessing his transfer policy undergo intense scrutiny year-on-year, Arsene Wenger began spending and it now seems an expectation that Arsenal will be forking out big sums on international stars over the coming months.

Everyone has their own opinions on who Arsenal should and should not pursue an interest in, but I ultimately regard the success of this window as being graded on criteria other than individual names. Here are some rules Wenger should follow to make for a successful summer’s spending.

Buy Early to Prevent ‘Panic-Buys’

Cast your mind back to Summer 2011. A prolonged resistance to spending by Wenger had resulted in Arsenal coming down to the final day of the window with no big targets secured, while their Premier League counterparts had invested heavily earlier on that Summer. As a result, Wenger unleashed a machine-gun of spending which many dubbed ‘panic-buys’. André Santos and Mikel Arteta were among those bought that day and, although the latter remains our official club captain, they were hardly world-class acquisitions.

Ultimately, buying early is crucial to the success of a transfer window for two reasons. Firstly, the world of football business is a lot like stock in a shop; wait too long and the best players will go, asking prices could rise and some clubs will be unwilling to sell in fear of lacking time to replace a departing player. Buying early also means Arséne will have time to evaluate and decide on his best eleven weeks before the season start instead of scrambling around to find a player to plug a hole in the team hours before the window’s end.

Wenger is a connoisseur of the fine game and will only do his business as and when he sees fit. If a player attracts interest, it will undoubtedly result in weeks of high level analysis followed by a mediocre bid which will most likely face rejection; only for a more affluent side to top the offer and snap up a great player. Therefore, Wenger may have to ditch his morals and take the odd gamble as getting players on the books as soon as possible is vital.

Defensive Solidity

It’s all very well and good seeing stories linking us with big-name strikers or wingers but many will agree it’s the defensive core of Arsenal’s game which has been lacking, so this is where improvements are needed.

An experienced goalkeeper, centre-half and holding midfielder are imperative. Coquelin needs a strong, technically-acute anchorman he can learn from, while Kosicelny needs a partner who can match his pace and potentially better his physicality. Generally, Arsenal require more defensive bite to match their bark going forward. These positions have to be first priority and there are plenty of options out there. Speculation regarding a move for Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin have been ongoing, while Juve’s Daniele Rugani has emerged as a potential defensive option.

A new No.1 is also on the cards with rumours of a move for Petr Cech intensifying on a daily basis, and it will be interesting to see who leaves should we wrap-up a deal for the Chelsea stopper.

No Big Sales

Not long ago, the Gunners ran the risk of becoming a ‘feeder-club’ for many of the league’s big boys, with the likes of Nasri and Van Persie switching London life for a more fruitful Manchester move. Now though, the growing ability and unity of the squad means Arsene’s side are becoming more competitive and increasingly likely to win silverware. As a result, fewer players are on the look out for a move. This doesn’t nullify any interest though, of course.

The latest to be caught up in the transfer rumour mill is the in-form Jack Wilshere, who appears to be a quick-fix for Manchester City’s declining home-grown policy. Jack’s just come off the back of a transitional season and personally I expect him to be the catalyst of Arsenal’s play next campaign, combining his fearless approach in winning the ball and expert vision to pick out a pass to turn defence into attack.

This is a side that are fresh off the back of an FA Cup success and who can all remember the highs of last season as well as the learning points. Therefore keeping hold of the likes of Jack, Santi Cazorla, who has allegedly been subject to interest from Atletico Madrid, and developing young talents like Bellerin and Coquelin could be as beneficial as a new marquee signing.

So there’s a brief, but in-depth idea of what Wenger should be looking to do this Summer. A world-class talent would be nice but provided we only let those who are surplus to requirements out the door, spend early and fill the positions we need, the Gunners’ armoury could be better than ever, ready for the new season!